Titanomachy
by jarec
Summary: Beastboy is still missing. The mysteries are multiplying. Are our young heroes ready to face the War of the Titans?
1. Chapter 1

Batgirl was amazed at how quickly the Titans readied themselves for their return to Jump City. Before leaving for Jump City, the Titans had taken time to create secret identities for themselves, arrange a cover story, bring in a team of replacement heroes, and book tickets to Gotham on a civilian airline. All in all, it had taken them quite a long time before they were ready, not including the actual flight time.

The return to Jump was going to be very different. An hour before, Robin had instructed his team to rest up, then start packing and be ready to leave the very next afternoon. Apparently, he no longer cared about travelling incognito, as he'd arranged for the Titans to use the Justice League's teleporter to travel from Gotham to the Watchtower, and from the Watchtower to Jump City. When she asked him about that, he'd just sighed and answered that, with no trace of Beastboy or his kidnappers to be found anywhere and with so much time having passed since his abduction, there really wasn't much point in sneaking around anymore.

Robin had then surprised her by asking if she would be returning to Jump City with them. "We asked you to come as a temporary measure" He'd said "Just until Beastboy returned from his…rest. After his disappearance, you agreed to stay until we got to Gotham and recovered him. But now we're leaving Gotham, and quite frankly I don't know how long it will be before we get Beastboy back- you might be in Jump City for a long, long time. No one will blame you if you decide to stay in Gotham. Take tonight and think it over."

Cassie took the secret passage from the Batcave over to the Seven Stars mall, keeping her mind focused on evading notice as she slipped from the passage into the still-empty mall. By keeping to the shadows and moving very carefully, she avoided detection by the security guards and cleaning staff just long enough to reach the exit and catch a bus to her own apartment. All the while she carefully blocked Robin's question from her mind, knowing that even with all her practice at hiding her thoughts there was still a chance some of her worry and unease might become visible. It was only when she was safely back in her own tiny apartment, just as the sun rose over the city, that she flopped down on her bed and let herself consider the question in depth.

DID she want to return to Jump City? Or, to put it more accurately, did she want to abandon Gotham for Jump City? It would mean leaving behind her family in Gotham, Batman, Barbara and Alfred, possibly for good. Yet they had told her for a long time that she needed to expand her social circle beyond them and meet new people in order to grow as a person. Furthermore, she had become unexpectedly close to the Titans in the time she'd worked with them- she knew that, if she chose to remain in Gotham, she would come to miss them greatly. Ultimately, she knew that her family would be pleased if she chose to leave Gotham- they would see it as 'leaving the nest', and would be feel a little disappointed (perhaps even guilty) were she to choose to stay because of them. So, that was a point for Jump City.

On the other hand, Titans Tower never felt like home to her. She looked around at her small bedroom. Most people, she knew, would find it stark and unpleasantly austere but for her it had a simple elegance she found comforting. She'd chosen all the furnishings herself, to suit her own tastes. This was the first real home she'd ever had- her father had deliberately kept her from forming such attachments as part of his program to make her the perfect assassin. More than that, though, she liked the neighborhood. It was quiet and nobody questioned a young girl who lived alone without any visible job. Most importantly, though, it was HERS which made it special in a way quarters at the Tower could never really be. She found that, trivial though it might seem, the thought of leaving her home for the Tower was a painful and frightening one.

Then there was… the other matter. Cassie still felt guilty about that, and cursed herself for being talked into that. He'd been so persuasive at the time, and made it seem so... well, she couldn't say it had ever seemed innocent, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. He'd told her she might have to do it again, and now she was too far in to say no. There was no doubt about it- when the Titans found out what she had done, they would be furious. They might even lose their trust in her completely. If she went to Jump City, she'd be reminded of her actions every day, but if she stayed in Gotham she'd never have a chance to make things right.

Cassie chewed her lip. So far it seemed to be a tie- she had good reason to choose either city. Thus, as a heroine, she fell back on which city truly NEEDED her more. Gotham had no shortage of protectors- apart from the BatClan, there was Huntress, Anarky, Azrael and others. Cassie knew that, while she certainly contributed a great deal to the fight against evil in Gotham, she was hardly vitally necessary here. In contrast, the Titans were in desperate need of a fifth member- all their strategies, schedules, and battle tactics were based upon a team of five or more. With one member missing, even regular patrols and battles with 'ordinary' villains would be far more dangerous and difficult, never mind searching for Beastboy. No, clearly she was needed far more in Jump City than she was in Gotham, and her own comforts would simply have to take a back seat to her duty. Besides which, Beastboy was her friend and she wouldn't let him remain a captive without doing everything she could to save him.

Satisfied with her decision, the young vigilante drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Robin hammered at the punching bag as sweat dripped into his eyes. The events of the night still weighed heavily on his mind, and he'd found himself unable to sleep. As was his habit on nights like that, he decided to train until exhaustion allowed him to sleep. He'd headed down to the Batcave and found Batman already there, working silently at the computer. Not wishing to disturb his mentor, Robin had gone to the workout area and began his training. That had been over an hour ago, and he could feel it starting to work- his limbs felt like rubber and his eyelids were beginning to droop. He slowly wound down his exercises and stretched his muscles before heading over to the computer.<p>

"Anything new on Scarecrow's mysterious employer?" He asked. Despite Crane's revelation that he knew nothing of the missing Titan, there was still a fair chance that he could lead them to someone useful.

The Dark Knight grunted and shook his head. "I've left the business of tracing Crane's money to the police. They have more time and resources than we do, and can afford to devote the effort to it. Frankly, I think that anyone intelligent enough to hire Crane to serve as a distraction, without him ever suspecting it, will have been clever enough to cover their tracks. Our investigation would be better served by focusing on Jump City."

"OUR investigation?" Robin repeated.

Batman turned slightly to give his former sidekick a look. "I assumed that you still wanted my help." Turning back to the screen, he went on. "I won't be able to offer you as much help as I could in Gotham, but I'd be happy to give what insight I can. But right now, I'm a bit more concerned with Slade."

"Slade? What does he have to do with any of this?" Robin repeated.

"Nothing. I doubt Beastboy's disappearance can be laid at his feet- the resources and the patience required for this are beyond anything he's displayed before, at least according to your reports. " Batman replied. "But if you recall, earlier this year Slade's robots robbed a laboratory here in Gotham. It's not my policy to let that sort of thing slide, so I've been reviewing all of your reports about him."

"I guess that makes sense. I mean, he must have- wait! All of my reports? I only sent you a few of them, enough to give you a general idea! Some of those reports were confidential- they had information the other Titans don't want getting out! I had them encrypted!"

"Yes." Batman said with a nod. "Incidentally, you might want to tell Cyborg to update your Tower's security firewall. I found it…somewhat lacking."

Robin opened his mouth to protest loudly, but sighed instead. This was the brick wall that every Robin, hell every Super Hero, ran up against sooner or later. Batman had broken into the Titan's confidential files because he viewed it as a necessary action. Complaining about the invasion of privacy or the hypocrisy of his actions would serve no purpose- Batman would simply say that he'd needed the information, and that he'd done no real harm. He honestly wouldn't see the problem. Better to just give in this time and tell Cyborg to improve his security.

"So, what do you think?" He said, moving to the small refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water.

"I'm actually rather puzzled." Batman admitted, turning to face the younger man. "Robin, what exactly is Slade's goal?"

"Huh? Well, to start with he wanted to make me his apprentice. When that didn't work, he caused the whole Terra incident- honestly, we may never know if she was turned before or after we met her so I don't know if that was his goal or one step along the way. After that, he partnered with Trigon and tried to turn Raven evil. So I guess his goal is to turn one or more of us into his apprentice or partner."

"Robin, you must realize that that makes no sense" Batman said slowly. "In your case he tried to blackmail you into becoming his apprentice, threatening to kill your friends unless you joined him. The threat itself was self-limiting; he had to know that even if you took his side, it would only be until you could find a way to free your friends. Terra, too, was hardly the ideal choice for a villainous would-be mentor. Leaving aside her obvious control issues, the girl was motivated more by hurt than by malice, as anyone can see from your reports. That might have been enough to cause her to fight you, but long-term she wouldn't have the stomach for genuine evil."

"What about Raven and Trigon?" Robin asked, genuinely curious. He hadn't considered these points before, and he wasn't sure he liked what they implied.

"The Justice League has had more than a few dealings with so-called 'demonic' beings" Batman replied "and one thing that's remained constant is their ability to influence the minds of humans. I doubt Slade was entirely under his own control- the idea of being a servant, even a favored one, to a demonic master wouldn't likely appeal to him. Since his autonomy is questionable, his motives are irrelevant."

"Hmm…" Robin said, as he sipped from his water. "If your reasoning is right, then Slade's an even bigger enigma than I thought. That's hardly comforting- his motives were the only thing I thought I knew about him."

Batman returned his attention to the computer screen, a small smile playing on his face. "If you're looking for comfort, you're in the wrong line of work. Have you given any thought to how you'll proceed back in Jump?"

Robin nodded and sat down beside his mentor. "I do have one or two ideas I'd like to run past you." _After all, it's not like I really NEED sleep…_ he thought. _And a chance to bounce my ideas off Batman is too good to let it slip._

* * *

><p>Cyborg was also finding it hard to sleep. Many people who heard about his nightly recharge assumed it was easy- plug in, close eyes, sleep. The truth was a lot more complicated than that. Sure, plugging into his recharge unit would immediately begin re-energizing his cybernetics but it did nothing for his organic parts, and it certainly didn't automatically put him to sleep, although he did find it to be a soothing feeling. But tonight, even the gentle sensation of his body entering 'charge mode' wasn't enough to lull him to sleep.<p>

He had a hard time accepting just how badly he and the others had messed up. How could he not have seen that the Sunnyvale hospital wasn't the most secure location for a troubled superhero? He should have at least organized extra security measures- even a camera in the lobby would have told them who had taken their friend! Or they could have told the staff that Beastboy was only to be released to them personally. Or… the list went on and on, as his keen mind provided him with dozens of precautions that seemed so obvious in hindsight.

The metallic teen let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He knew almost all his friends were struggling with similar thoughts and were dealing with them in their own ways. Robin was down in the cave training, Starfire had headed straight to bed, while Raven had retreated into deep meditation to keep her emotions under control- he'd actually had to carry her up to bed because she was unable to leave her trance until she felt it was safe to do so.

Batgirl, unsurprisingly, was the exception- she had done the best she could, and there was no point in kicking herself over what she hadn't thought to do, and so she put the past behind her and focused on how best to help him now. Cyborg wished he could do the same. He had no idea what their next move should be- the trail in Jump City was over a month old by this point, and any clues they might find would likely be so out of date as to be irrelevant. If only they hadn't taken the bait so quickly, if only they'd done at least a basic search for clues before coming to Gotham, if only they hadn't screwed up Beastboy's treatment in the first place…

Cyborg shook his head and rose from his charging unit. "I ain't gonna be able to kick myself to sleep" he muttered "Might as well go get a snack to settle myself."

The cybernetic hero walked slowly through the gloom of Wayne Manor, and as always he found the place creeping him out greatly. Even now, at nearly seven in the morning, the manor was dark and gloomy, which only served to worsen his mood. The place just had a really bad vibe. He made his way downstairs to the huge kitchen, and was surprised (and a tad alarmed) to see Starfire seated at the table with an open pickle jar in front of her. That was not a good sign.

Several years before, the Titans had defeated a third-rate super villain calling himself the Condiment King at the Klaus Brothers Pickle Works. The owners of the factory had been so grateful they had offered each of the heroes with a huge jar of their finest gourmet pickles. Most of the Titans had declined and asked the grateful businessmen to make a donation to one of Jump City's charities instead. Starfire, however, had accepted the gift on the grounds that she had never tried pickles before, and had found the aroma in the factory very pleasant. The instant the group returned to the Tower, the alien princess had gleefully begun consuming her prize. The Titans had learned two things that day: First, that pickled cucumbers had an effect on Tamaranians comparable to hard liquor on humans. Second, that Starfire was an emotional drunk, quickly swinging from furious to maudlin at the slightest provocation.

Cautiously, Cyborg entered the kitchen and greeted his friend. "Hey Star. Couldn't sleep either, huh?" He cautiously tapped the jar on the table, and was distressed to see that it was mostly empty. "How many of those have you had?"

Starfire followed his gaze and gave a weary smile. "Worry not, my very dear friend, I have eaten only six so far. I believe that someone here enjoys the pickles almost as much as I."

Cyborg sighed in relief, although he took note of the words 'so far'. Heading to the refrigerator, he set about making himself a large sandwich- nothing too fancy, just a basic salami-cheese-ham-bacon-chicken-lettuce-tomato sandwich with barbecue sauce. "Bad night, huh?" he said over one shoulder.

Starfire nodded gravely and slumped forward sadly. "It has been so very bad. We were all readying ourselves for a joyous reunion with our absent friend Beastboy. Today was to be a day of celebration but instead it is one of disappointment and misery. We are further than ever from regaining our friend, and now I (sniff) I fear that we shall never see him again!" At that, Starfire began quietly sobbing into her hands, pausing only to eat another pickle.

Sitting down with his sandwich, the metal man patted his friend on the back. "Hey, now it's not as bad as all that"

Starfire looked up with tears in her (somewhat unfocused) eyes. "Is it not?"

"No, and I'll tell you why." Cyborg said as he took a bite of his sandwich, more to give himself time to think than out of hunger. He'd just wanted to cheer Starfire up (or at least prevent a drunken breakdown) but now he had to find a silver lining to this rotten situation. Swallowing, he went on "Yeah, we don't have Beastboy and yeah we fell for the old red herring trick. But the very fact that we did is kind of a good sign. Whoever captured Beastboy went to a lot of trouble and expense to make sure we thought it was Scarecrow who did it- and they wouldn't have done that if they'd meant to just kill him. So we can be pretty sure the little grass stain is still alive. Also, whoever it was sent us to the other side of the country, right? Why would they do that unless they planned to stay in or near Jump City and wanted to be sure we were far away? So- we know he's alive, and that he's probably in or near Jump."

"Yes…" Starfire said, straightening up and beginning to smile. "Yes! You are right my friend! We have erred but our errors show us there is still hope! OH! I must go and explain this to Raven- she seemed to be very very sad!"

The orange girl rose into the air and began to fly (in a wobbly way) to the door, when she ran right into Robin. The Boy Wonder was driven to the floor by the impact, but managed to catch his girlfriend's leg before she could fly away.

"Whoa, Star! What's going on?" he asked as he got up. Noticing her shaky flight and the glassy look in her eyes, he shot Cyborg a questioning look. The metal man shrugged and mouthed the word 'pickles'. Robin grimaced- tonight was bad enough without adding an intoxicated alien into it. Turning back to his girlfriend he forced a smile. "Where are you going at this hour?"

"I am going to tell Raven the good news! That through our failures we have succeeded!" Starfire proclaimed proudly.

Robin stifled a gasp at that. Right now, Raven was meditating as deeply as she could to prevent her emotions wreaking havoc. The last thing anyone needed was for her to be confronted by an intoxicated Starfire, bent on sharing such 'good news'. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Raven… Raven's had a very long night and needs her rest." He temporized. "Why not tell her tonight? I'm sure she'll be much more … receptive. In the meantime, why not go to bed? We're all tired, and we need to be rested for our trip."

Starfire giggled before she gave him a dazzling smile and poked a finger into his chest. "I know what you are up to Dearest and most Beloved Tim! But I fear you are wasting your time, for my season has passed. I am no longer sexually receptive, so you will simply have to wait! But worry not, for in a few weeks, the next time my season comes I will reward your patience. I promise you…"

"Oh well! I guess I'll just have to wait!" Robin cut in, his face as red as his uniform. He couldn't bring himself to look at Cyborg. "But in the meantime will you at least let me walk you up to your room? It IS a little late for a talk with Raven, isn't it?"

Starfire took his arm and nodded happily. "I shall be sure to tell Raven the good news tomorrow. Good night, Cyborg!"

Cyborg watched the pair as Robin half-led, half-dragged a thoroughly inebriated Starfire to her room. He was SO glad he had a camera installed into his cybernetic eye- after all, there was still the matter of a cup of motor oil to be avenged. Cyborg knew his team, and he knew they functioned best when everything seemed as 'normal' as possible, including the boys jokes. Looking at it like that, he practically had a DUTY to prank Robin, purely for his own good of course…

* * *

><p>Raven did not sleep at all that day, instead focusing on centering herself and balancing her emotions. She began as soon as the Titans returned to Wayne Manor, retreating to her room and engaging in a series of Azerathian breathing exercises to calm herself as much as possible. During this time, she was unable to fully restrain her powers completely and destroyed a chair and two lamps before regaining control. With her conscious mind now firmly under control, she turned to her emotional state. Using her mirror, Raven returned to the emotional landscape her friends had named Nevermore.<p>

She had expected Rage to be dominant at this point and was thus surprised to find that Timid's maze had taken over a large portion of Nevermore but as she wandered the twisting labyrinth, she realized what had happened. Like all the other beings that populated Nevermore, Timid was an amalgam of several related emotions- fear, sadness, timidity, regret… and despair. Crane's revelation had shattered her best hope of ever seeing Beastboy again, and Timid's power must have increased dramatically. Raven certainly felt horrible enough for that to be true. As she made her way through the maze, she pondered how best to rectify the situation.

A direct confrontation was out. Raven's emotions existed in a curious balance with one another- for one to gain as much power as Timid clearly had, the others would have to have been significantly diminished. That meant that Raven would be on her own, and while Timid was far from the most aggressive of emotions, she could be dangerous in her own way. Instead, Raven would have to change her own mood- a difficult enough task under normal circumstances, but made all the harder due to the active opposition of her own sadness. As she continued to make her way through the great labyrinth, the empath tried to think of ways she could counter her own despair.

Eventually, she arrived in a vast circular clearing at the heart of the maze, one which hadn't been there the last time she came to Nevermore. At the heart of this area stood six copies of herself arrayed in a circle, with a seventh in the center. The outer six Ravens wore cloaks of different colors- red, green, yellow, pink, purple, and sky blue- but all were muted, almost to the point of being gray. Their faces were expressionless, gazing out in all directions with colorless dead eyes.

At the center of this ring Timid sat on the ground, her face in her hands as she wept.

Raven cautiously approached her doppelgangers, alert for any sign of an attack. Moving passed them, she reached Timid but found herself at a loss for what to say. She could think of nothing which would dispel her own gloom- happy thoughts and silver linings weren't her specialty at the best of times. Today, she found it impossible to think of anything cheery enough to break the despair that had taken control of her emotions. On top of that, she had very little experience dealing with Timid. The shy emotion was usually the least troublesome of all the residents of Nevermore, and Raven usually only had to prevent her from inhibiting her too much. She DID know of another way… it would be extremely dangerous, but it was almost guaranteed to work.

Raven reached down and pulled Timid to her feet… before delivering a ringing slap across the emotion's face. Timid fell to the ground and looked up at Raven with disbelief.

"You sicken me." Raven said in a cold monotone. "You sit here, wallowing in self-pity, while the villain who stole Beastboy from me- from US- laughs at us. You pitiful, cowardly weakling."

"But, but…" Timid stammered, unaccustomed to such harsh treatment. Normally, Raven either ignored her or spoke gently to her. "But it's been so long… wh-what if Garfield is d-dea-dead?"

"Then what you're doing is even worse. You're letting the boy we love lie unavenged." Raven replied. Turning to her other emotions she favored them with a glare. "The rest of you are no better. Is THIS what the daughter of Trigon does when enemies attack her family? Would our mother curl up weeping if someone hurt or killed her loved ones?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Raven could see the effect her words were having. Rage's cloak was becoming progressively brighter, and her body was beginning to twitch. Raven, turned back to Timid and pressed the attack.

"My father must be laughing right now." Raven went on, and somehow her icy tone gave her words more weight than if she'd ranted and yelled. "I faced him without fear, my friends by my side, and managed to defeat him. I purged my soul of his evil and averted the prophecy he'd pinned so much on. But when my boyfriend needs me most, when things look dark, I can't do anything at all because I'm just too busy wallowing in my own misery. Is THAT all I am- a helpless little girl who crumbles to pieces when things look grim?"

Behind her she could hear a faint growling, and readied herself. It wouldn't be long now.

"Is this all we can do? Sit here feeling sorry for ourself when Beastboy's kidnappers- maybe his MURDERERS- run around free?" Raven called out, raising her voice and addressing all her emotions.

"NO!" Bellowed Rage as crimson energy flared from her body. Her teeth sharpened visibly while her eyes glowed blood red. "We will NOT be silent! We will NOT allow this to pass unavenged! Our enemies will drown in their own blood, and will die screaming in terror!"

As Rage's fury grew, the other emotions began to return to normal. Raven allowed herself a small smirk. Just as she'd predicted, by infuriating Rage she'd been able to break the despair which had paralyzed her emotions. True, she now had to deal with Rage, but that was a fight she had a great deal of experience with. She began the well-honed ritual of subduing her anger, with the aid of her other psychic selves.

An hour later, Raven opened her eyes for the first time since leaving Gotham Police Headquarters. She slowly rose from the lotus position, noting the cracking and creaking of her joints. She glanced at the clock- it was now two in the afternoon. Robin had told them to be ready to go at four. She frowned a bit- she'd hoped to be able to sleep a little at least, but supposed she'd be all right without. She headed down to the kitchen to brew some tea, and get something to eat.

She arrived at the kitchen only to find Starfire sitting at the table with a bag of ice on her head, while Alfred stood at the stove frying something. Raven found herself genuinely shocked at her friend's appearance- her green eyes were bloodshot, her hair was a mess, and her skin was a pale shade of orange.

Raven prepared her tea and made herself a small sandwich before returning to the table. As she pulled back the chair to seat herself, she noticed Starfire wince at the sound before pressing her hands to the side of her head.

"What's wrong, Star?' Raven asked, sipping her tea. "Have you caught a cold?"

"Alas, I fear not." Alfred said, in a tone of stern disapproval. "Her Highness overindulged in pickles last night and is rather feeling the effects now."

Raven looked back at Starfire with disappointment. "Star, I thought you'd promised not to overdo the pickles again. It took us a week to repair the common room after your last binge. You promised us all that would be the last time. "

Starfire sat up and gave Raven a bleary glare. "That was not my fault! The television was refusing to work properly and the wires caused me to trip! I had to defend myself!" Suddenly she turned pale and slumped back down. "Oooohh… Yelling was a poor idea…"

"As was consuming so many pickles last night, I daresay." Alfred said, sliding a plate of fried eggs and hash browns in front of her. "Perhaps you will remember both of these lessons in future. Now, eat- fried foods are good for hangovers."

Starfire looked at the plate with a mixture of longing and fear. "This is true in humans, yes? How can we be sure it will be as helpful to me?"

"Allow me to answer your question with a question, Your Majesty" Alfred replied "Could it conceivably make you feel any worse?"

Starfire considered this for a moment, then began eating. Raven smirked and finished her meal. She patted her friend gently on the shoulder before heading back up to her room to pack.

An hour and a half later, it was time to go. The Titans assembled in the Batcave, carrying what few belongings they'd brought with them. Alfred and Nightwing waited to make their goodbyes, and to give Cassie assurances that she'd always be welcome in Gotham or Bloodhaven. There were no tears, but the empath could feel the mixture of emotions present- pride, fear, joy, love and many others all blending together. Soon, though, it was time to leave. The Titans stepped onto the teleporter with their belongings while Batman moved to the controls.

What happened next was very odd and completely unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. There was a flash of impossibly brilliant light, and then darkness. For a split second, Raven felt as though she were being forced through an impossibly thin pipe. There was sensation of moving at a fantastic speed. Then another burst of light, and she found herself in a completely different location. She stood in a vast chamber, with walls of grey-green steel, across from what appeared to be a massive window. Filling the entire window was the Earth, slowly turning below. It was a beautiful sight, one which filled her with a feeling of awe and majesty, marred only slightly by the sound of Starfire being noisily sick beside her.

* * *

><p>Starfire wished that her head would simply explode- at least then the pain would be over quickly. As it was, she was feeling miserable and the worst part was that she had no one to blame but herself. She had been feeling so very sad and helpless, ever since they had learned that they had been chasing an undomesticated goose (yet another Terran expression that made no sense). It appeared that their friend might be lost to them, for surely after so long the trail would be almost impossible to find.<p>

She had felt so badly that she found herself unable to sleep and had wandered to the kitchen in the hopes of finding something that would soothe her nerves and her heart. The pickles had seemed the very thing- she'd told herself she would have just one, to settle herself, and then she would put the jar back. After one she HAD felt a little better, but not well enough to rest so she'd had a second. After the second pickle, a third seemed reasonable enough. After the third, she realized she'd had too much and decided that she might as well go all out- little point in moderation when she was already intoxicated after all. She was glad now that friend Cyborg had stopped her for she was sure that, left alone, she would have consumed them all and poisoned herself.

But oh how she was suffering now! When she'd first awoken that evening, she had felt as though a herd of n'flem beasts had been using her head as a battleground and her mouth as a toilet. Her stomach had churned and rolled, and she had felt as though she would be sick every time she took a step or left the ground. Alfred's fried breakfast had helped a bit, settling her poor stomach and clearing her head a bit, but the feeling of teleportation had been too much for her. After her stomach had emptied itself, she had felt much better physically and had requested a moment to clean herself up in the room of washing. Robin had agreed, since it would take some time before the teleporter was ready for use once more- he did not say so, but she knew that they needed to be sure her accident had not damaged the machine.

As for her emotional state… Starfire doused her face with cold water from the sink in an attempt to quell her blush. She had made a fool of herself last night, first with Cyborg and again with Tim. She shuddered to think of the embarrassing things she had said to him that night, and of the way she had almost collapsed on the stairs. Raven's disapproval was nearly as bad- she had seen the way her friend had looked at her that morning, and she was unable to blame her. Starfire HAD promised to be moderate in her consumption of pickles, and yet she had eaten herself into a stupor last night. Raven had suffered far more from the revelation of last night, and yet she had not succumbed to such weakness.

She walked out of the washing room and looked passed the technicians inspecting the teleporter to her fellow Titans. Cyborg and Robin were arguing over something, quite loudly. Cassie stood at the window, gazing down at the Earth below them- a view she had likely never seen before. Raven stood in one corner with her eyes closed. Starfire moved to her side.

Without opening her eyes, the empath turned to Starfire and spoke. "Star, I want to apologize for earlier. I might have been a bit harsh with you."

The young princess smiled. "Do not worry my friend. I know that you are feeling a great deal of the stress right now. May I ask, are you in need of meditation right now?"

Raven sighed and nodded. "I thought I had it under control, I really did, but then…" Raven trailed off into silence for a moment before resuming. "Anyway, this isn't the best place to meditate- there're too many people around."

Starfire placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Meditate if you need to, friend, I shall ensure you are not disturbed."

Raven nodded gratefully before settling onto the floor in her meditative position. Within a few moments, she rose a few inches off the ground.

Starfire looked over to where Robin and Cyborg appeared to be finished with their argument, and smiled as Robin came over to where she stood.  
>"I greet you, Robin" Starfire said, kissing her boyfriend lightly on the cheek. "About what were you and Cyborg arguing?"<p>

"Ah, it's nothing important Star." Robin sighed "Cyborg's just decided to restart our little prank war."

Starfire jerked away, a look of shock on her face. "How can he think of such a thing while Beastboy is a captive? Were they not the best of friends? Does he not worry about his friend?"

"I think that's actually why he's doing this." Robin replied with a nod. "Pulling pranks lets him feel like things are normal- it keeps him from focusing so much on what happened to his best friend and provides him with a way to relieve some stress. It also helps the rest of you- you get to have a good laugh at the expense of the one being pranked, which is something I think we're going to need in the days ahead. So I can't really be too angry at most jokes. But some pranks cross the line, and need to be dealt with; and since I can't ban all jokes without coming across as an unreasonable jerk, I have to teach him a lesson in other ways."

"I see." Starfire said thoughtfully. "Tell me, what is this joke that crossed the line?"

"Oh, Cyborg took some pictures last night, and sent them to Titans East." Noting Starfire's look of horror Robin quickly added "Not of you! Just… my reaction to what happened."

"Oh. I see." Starfire said with shame in her voice. "I must again apologize. I would not have acted as I did were it not for the pickles."

Robin kissed her briefly. "I know that, Star- you're one of the sweetest and most innocent girls I've ever known. Just… just try to lay off the pickles, ok?"

"I shall" Starfire replied.

Before things could get much further, the technician signaled that the teleporter was once again ready for use. The Titans assembled once more, with Starfire praying to X'hal that her stomach would not respond to this trip as it had to the last.

In a burst of light, the Titans found themselves just outside their beloved Tower once more. It was now around ten PM, and most of the lights in the Tower were out. Stepping inside, they found the entrance chamber dark and empty.

Robin frowned. "Where is everyone? I told them we were coming."

"They're probably upstairs." Cyborg replied with a shrug. "Most likely wanna surprise us."

But the Tower seemed to be totally empty and quiet. It was only when they reached the Common Room that they found some of the Titans North. Jinx and Freddy Freeman were watching TV- Jinx sitting on the floor, with Freddy behind her on the couch running a brush through her bright pink hair which hung down to her back.. Both looked up in surprise when the Titans came into the room. Robin scowled at them.

"Where's the rest of your team, Freddy?" he growled. "Why aren't they here? I told you we were coming!"

"I-I" stammered the young hero called Captain Marvel Junior, clearly intimidated. "I didn't… that is…"

"I'll handle this, Junior." Jinx said, standing up to poke Robin in the chest. "Listen, traffic light. Kate told us to expect you tomorrow morning- we've spent the last two days cleaning up the Tower and preparing reports on what happened this month, when we weren't patrolling the city. This is the first free time any of us have had since hearing from you so don't you DARE get angry at us for enjoying ourselves. "

Robin took a moment to digest this before speaking again. "Where is Kate? I told her we'd be here around NOW not tomorrow morning."

"She and Fang are in their bedroom, but..." Freddy started, but Robin stomped off before he could finish.

"I think I'm going to go unpack, then get some rest." Raven droned "It's been a long day, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow."

"Me too" Cyborg agreed, while Cassie merely nodded.

Starfire floated over to Jinx and smiled at her one-time enemy. "I greet you, Jinx. I am pleased to see that you and Captain Marvel Junior are happy together."

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Jinx said, sitting on the sofa and giving her boyfriend a coy smile. "I like 'em sweet and I like 'em simple. If you wanna be with the Red-Breasted Brooding Bird, you can have him. Superboy and Stargirl are working out okay, too- they're on 'patrol' together right now."

Starfire giggled but was cut off by a piercing scream that echoed through the Tower. Both girls leapt off the couch, but before they could investigate Robin burst into the room. His face was a bright red and his breath was coming in gasps.

"Boyfriend Robin!" Starfire exclaimed "What has happened? Is there some enemy in the Tower?"

Before they could answer, Fang entered the room on his long spider's legs. The mutant teenager was naked, save for a small towel wrapped around his midsection. Without a word to the others, he seized Robin by the wrist and dragged him back out into the hallway. Wordlessly, the other Titans followed, curious as to what was going on. The group moved through the halls of Titans Tower, until eventually they reached one of the guest bedrooms Robin had set aside for the replacement team's use. Fang stopped outside the door and raised Robin's hand, rapping it against the closed door three times.

Turning to Robin, the spider-headed man spoke one word "Knocking." Turning back to the door, he rapped Robin's hand against the steel door three more times before releasing it. He leaned forward so his spider face was inches from Robin's before speaking again. "Knocking. Embrace it."

Robin stammered for a moment, while Starfire laughed to herself. It was obvious to her what had happened- in his anger at the perceived communications failure, her boyfriend had burst into the bedroom of Kate and Fang and interrupted what was meant to be a private moment between the two. It was rather funny, she thought.

Eventually, Robin recovered enough to make an apology- although he was unable to look Fang in the eye(s) while he did so. As the boys went their separate ways (Fang muttering something about a cold shower, which sounded unpleasant to her)Starfire rapped gently on the door to the bedroom.

"Friend Kate?" she called "It is I, Starfire. Do you wish to come out?"

There was a sigh from behind the door, and Starfire's onetime rival for Robin emerged. Her blonde hair was messed up, her skin was flushed, and she wore a bright pink bathrobe with a cartoon spider on one breast. "I might as well" she said wearily. "The mood's ruined now, anyway."

"I fear it is" Starfire said, greeting her enemy-turned-friend with a hug. "I am most sorry"

"It's okay, Kori. Fangy-poo and I will just have to try again later." Kate replied "Let's go find Robin and find out what's going on."

When they reached the Common Room, Robin was seated on the couch receiving a lecture on courtesy from Freddy, while Jinx looked on and struggled not to laugh.

"…realize it's your tower, Robin" Freddy was saying "But we've been living and working here for over a month. Now, I'm not saying it's OURS but we have come to expect a certain degree of privacy in our rooms. So barging it, whatever the circumstances…"

"KATE!" Robin exclaimed, relieved to be able to move on. "There you are! Why did you tell Freddy and the others that we were coming in tomorrow?"

"Because you told me you were leaving at three this afternoon, Gotham time. It's a six hour flight from Gotham to here, assuming you went with a civilian flight the way you did last time." Kate replied. "I figured you'd arrive around three or four in the morning. I'm actually a little curious as to what you're doing here now."

"We took the JLA's teleporter" Robin said a little sheepishly. "I guess I forgot to tell you. It really hasn't been my day."

An awkward silence descended on the room, but it was soon broken by a bizarre sound- to Starfire's ear it sounded like a combination of crackling and chewing. "Excuse me" the alien girl said "But what it that noise?"

Kate shrugged. "It started pretty soon after you guys left, actually. We tried to track it but it's coming from the crawlspace in the walls and it's always moving. I think you've got rats."

Robin leapt to his feet and withdrew his bo staff. The others jumped away as the Boy Wonder raced to the nearest wall.

"What? What's wrong?" Fang called after him. "Are rats in the crawlspace such a big deal?"

"Get Cyborg here as soon as you can" Robin said with a snarl. "The Tower's walls don't HAVE crawlspaces- they're supposed to be solid. No rat I ever heard of can tunnel through solid concrete and steel. We need to get to the bottom of this."

A/N  
>Sorry about the wait. See, I was kinda distracted by recent life-events: I finally graduated! YAY! Now I get to look for work! And an apartment!<p>

…yay…?

Anyway. Long chapter. Couple important plot points set up, and a start made. I hope it meets everyone's expectations.

Oh, and Celtic Warrior? I don't normally respond to Private Messages in stories but to answer the question you sent me: Right…about… (Wait for it)…NOW.


	2. Chapter 2

In due course, Cyborg was brought down from his room and had the situation explained to him- with him came Superboy and Stargirl, who had returned from patrol and wanted to satisfy their own curiosity. Captain Marvel Junior, Jinx, and Starfire had left, being less interested in the mystery than they were in getting a good night's sleep. Robin didn't argue the point- as it was, he had enough heroes to handle virtually any emergency and he saw no need to detain the others.

A quick initial check of the Tower's security revealed nothing out of place, but Robin insisted that Cyborg scan the walls himself. Sure enough, the cybernetic hero soon found a narrow tunnel carved through the inside of the wall. Following it, the group was amazed to discover an entire network of pathways and tunnels which riddled the walls of the Tower. They seemed to wander across several floors, and were seemingly random. The tunnels never exited the walls, however- as though whatever had created them did not want to enter the Tower proper.

"Cyborg" Stargirl said nervously. "I don't know a great deal about construction, but wouldn't so many tunnels bored through a building make it unsafe?"

"In most buildings, yeah. But gel-head here" Cyborg replied indicating Robin with one thumb "insisted that the Tower be made totally proof against anything short of a direct bombing. It'll take a lot more than some holes to bring down our home. Wait! A-HA! Found him- whatever is making these holes is right… HERE!" Cyborg pointed triumphantly at an innocuous patch of wall.

"So… what is it?" Robin asked, eying the spot warily.

A large drop of sweat appeared on Cyborg's forehead. "Ah… I don't know. All my sensors can tell me is that there's something on the other side of that wall, that it's about two and a half feet long, and it's alive. "The metal teen turned to his friends. "Superboy, use your x-ray vision and see if you can't get a clearer view of this thing, would ya?"

"Er, yeah, about that." Superboy said, rubbing the back of his head. "Er. The guys who made me- Cadmus- were trying to make a perfect clone of Superman. But, um, there were a lot of things about Kryptonian DNA they didn't really understand. I haven't got ANY of the Big S's vision powers- no heat rays, no x-rays, no telescopic vision."

An awkward silence held for a second before Star Girl leaned over to kiss Superboy on the cheek. "Just as well" she said "If you had X-ray vision, you'd probably never turn it off."

"Hey! I would so!" Superboy retorted, his face red. "I got no desire to see what Robin's got under his tights, or what CMJ's lightning rod looks like!"

"AHEM!" Robin coughed loudly. "I think we're getting off track, here. If we can't look into the wall to see what this thing is, what CAN we do? I don't want to risk anyone's safety by attacking an unknown enemy- if it IS an enemy- but I don't see what else can be done."

"Um, hello?" Superboy said a little peevishly. "Maybe I don't have X-ray vision, but I'm still just as tough as the Big S. I'll just punch a hole in the wall and take a look inside."

Robin shook his head. "Even if you ARE nearly invulnerable, it's too dangerous. We have no idea what this thing is or what it's capable of. How do we know it can't teleport, or move faster than you can? I think it would be better to be cautious- Cyborg can probably make an enhanced version of his scanner" Robin turned briefly to his friend who gave him a nod "and then we can see what we're dealing with."

Superboy was already shaking his head before Robin had even finished. "By the time Cyborg's finished building his new gizmo this thing could flee the Tower. Nah, what we need is ACTION!" Superboy drew back his hand and punched straight through the solid wall of the Tower. Vibrating his arm at super speed, the Boy of Steel widened the hole until it was at least a foot across. Without another word, he thrust his head into the hole.

And let out a blood chilling scream.

Starfire been confident in her friends abilities to solve the mystery of the chewing in the walls, and had excused herself as soon as possible to unpack her luggage. She had returned to Jump City with many lovely souvenirs from her trip to Gotham City- even if it had ultimately been a failure. She had many fine new garments to be placed in her closet, and several small pieces of art to be stationed about her chambers. She was just taking out the first of these- a miniature dome filled with white particles and a tiny version of downtown Gotham which created a snow storm when agitated- and contemplating where to place it when she heard the scream coming from the floor below.

Shaking off the weariness of the journey, Starfire tossed the small object onto her bed and flew down the stairs. She followed the sounds of screaming to a hallway located between the briefing room and one of the Tower's many storage rooms. There, she found her friends struggling to remove a strange creature from atop Superboy's head, where it seemed to be attempting to swallow him whole. Cyborg and Fang were braced on either side of the struggling young clone, tugging futilely at the thick, tube shaped object which wriggled in their grasp. Starfire flew to lend her assistance but slowed as she began to recognize it. It was far larger than she remembered, and caked in powdered concrete, but it was still unmistakably…

"SILKY!" Starfire exclaimed joyously. At the sound of her voice, the mutant larva effortlessly squirmed out of the heroes grasp, before releasing its jaws from Superboy's head and bounding towards its owner. The alien girl caught it in midair and pulled it to her chest as she spun around. For its part, Silky squirmed happily against its owner's body. "Oh, my little bumgorf, I have missed you so very greatly these past months! Where have you been all of this time?"

"Uh, we, er" Robin stammered, shocked at this turn of events "We think that Silky was the one tunneling through the Tower's walls."

As if on cue, the fat little larva coughed out a great cloud of powdered concrete. Starfire held her pet out at arm's length and shook her finger at it severely.

"Naughty Silky!" she scolded "You know very well that our Tower is not for eating! Nor are our friends!"

"Wait a minute…" Superboy said, his voice tinged with incredulity. "You know that thing? THE THING THAT TRIED TO EAT MY HEAD?"

Starfire backed away from the angry young man, smiling nervously. She knew well that she was no match at all for an angry Kryptonian. "He is my bumgorf. That is to say, he is what you would call a pet."

"YOUR PET IS THE THING THAT TRIED TO EAT MY HEAD?" Superboy exclaimed.

"He did not mean it, I am sure! He did not recognize you and believed you to be an intruder, that is all." She held the now smiling worm up. "You see? He knows now that you are not an enemy. He wishes to be friends!"

"FRIENDS WITH THE THING THAT TRIED TO EAT MY HEAD?"

Robin stepped forward, placing himself between the two. "All right that's enough. . Star, keep Silky in your room until the others leave and apologize for the trouble he's caused us. Superboy, Starfire will keep her pet under control from now on. For now, just accept her apologies and let it go at that."

Starfire bowed from the waist. "I am sorry that my Silky has made himself a nuisance, and that he attacked you Superboy. I shall take my leave now."

Superboy grunted. He disliked being made to look stupid by a smiling yellow worm, but knew better than to press the point with Robin's girlfriend.

As the alien girl flew off, Star Girl turned to her boyfriend. "So why were you having so much trouble pulling that thing off your head, Boy of Steel? What happened to your super strength?"

"I'm a little curious about that myself" Robin admitted. "I know Silky's got strong jaws- he was chewing through concrete after all- but I didn't think they were strong enough to resist Kryptonian strength."

Superboy's face turned red and he looked away. "It was another problem Cadmus had. I don't actually have super-strength. What I have is called Tactile Telekinesis- I can move immense weight with my mind so long as I'm touching whatever it is. My muscles don't do the work, my brain does. Normally it's unconscious but when a monster starts chowing down on my head- well, even unconscious telekinesis gets tricky."

Cyborg nodded, with a slightly smug expression on his face. "My dad will be pleased to hear that. The old man almost keeled over when you first showed up- said as far as he knew science was decades away from reliably reproducing Superman level strength. He was sure his fellow scientists at STAR Labs were holding out on him." Cyborg's grin dissolved. "In fact, it cost him a lot of friends and started his obsession with cybernetics. Nearly ruined our family since for a couple of months he stopped caring about anything but increasing the strength in the robots he built."

"Um…Sorry?" Superboy hazarded, not really sure what was expected of him.

"It's okay!" Cyborg said, smiling once more. "You can make it up to me by buying tonight's pizza- Gotham's nice an' all but they just can't get the sauce the way I like it!"

"Wait, let me see if I got this" Superboy said, shaking his head as if to clear it. "I gotta buy you pizza, because your dad went whacko when he heard that I had super-strength he couldn't match, even though I really don't?"

"Yup!" Cyborg grinned "Plus you gotta buy pizza for all the rest of us- I ain't so greedy as to hog it all for myself. I figure five or six pies oughta be enough!"

Superboy stammered for a moment, trying to think of a way out of this. As he did, Stargirl stepped forward with a question of her own. "Hey, if Silky is your pet, how'd he wind up in the walls of the Tower? Wasn't anyone paying attention to him?"

Robin frowned and stroked his chin. "I guess we weren't watching him as closely as we should have- though to be fair, it has been a crazy couple of months for us. I suppose he just got overlooked and wandered into an open air vent or something, but couldn't get out. He probably got hungry, and just started chewing on the walls. We'll have to be more careful in the future, though, since he could have seriously damaged the Tower given enough time."

"Plus, the little guy was probably really lonely and unloved" Stargirl added.

"Oh, I doubt we'll have to worry about that" Robin smirked "I have a feeling Starfire missed him too"

* * *

><p>Sure enough, Starfire rocketed to her room carrying her beloved pet. "Oh my dear Silky!" She cried as they landed on her bed. She lay down and placed the mutant larva directly in front of her. "I am so very very sorry to have neglected you! But the last half year has been so eventful I hardly know where to begin! But I shall tell you one thing that shall make you happy- Robin and I are finally together! Is this not glorious news?"<p>

Silky, sensing the happiness in Starfire's tone, burbled happily and nuzzled his antennae against her cheek.

"Yes, it is glorious! Beastboy and Raven have also become a couple, which fills me even further with happiness." The Tamaranian said, gently stroking one of Silky's antennae with a finger. She sighed. "But, sadly, this is one of the only pieces of good news I can relate. You see, more than six Terran months ago, a vile criminal called the Joker came to Jump City. He killed many innocent people and caused much destruction, which we were unable to prevent. It was only with the help of Batgirl, a heroine from Gotham, that we were able to prevail over him. Worst of all, he kidnapped Beastboy and tortured him horribly for a long time- and even after we rescued him and arrested the monstrous clown, our friend was still not himself."

Once more sensing its owner's mood, Silky wriggled close to Starfire's face and licked her cheek. Ordinarily, this would have given the alien girl a fit of the giggles, but now she merely smiled wearily before continuing.

"He had nightmares and would hallucinate if left alone for too long. At first he denied his problems, but when he proved unable to control his fear during a bank robbery, we decided he needed help." Starfire sighed again "If only we had not attempted to treat him ourselves! But Robin believed that his plan would work since it came from his mentor, the Batman of Gotham city. We locked Beastboy in the isolation cell for a short time each day- it was hoped that by facing his fears, our friend would overcome them. Raven helped as well, creating a magic mirror so that our friend could confront his emotions in person. We thought he was making great progress, so great that he could meet his former tormentor and put the entire episode in the past. But we were wrong- Beastboy was totally unready to face the Joker, and entered a state known as cat- cat-… Cat-A-Tonix. The doctors at the asylum told us that our 'help' had harmed our friend, and that he needed to be placed in a hospital for the ill of brain."

Starfire squeezed her pet close, unsettled by the memories. "Our friend's treatment again seemed to be proceeding well, although it was much harder to protect the city without him- especially since there was a string of most peculiar crimes at that time. Many pieces of advanced science were stolen both within the city and beyond it. We also encountered Doctor Light again, and found him to be far more dangerous than we had expected- a discovery which prompted Raven to ask my and Batgirl's help in becoming stronger. Eventually, we came to retrieve Beastboy from the hospital, only to discover that he was gone.

At first it seemed obvious that he had been taken by another Gotham villain called the Scarecrow- the false name given at the hospital meant Scarecrow in some Terran language, and Robin's family in Gotham reported seeing the madman leaving the airport accompanied by a young man with green hair. Thus, we flew to Gotham to search for our friend, but to no avail. We were there for more than two months, and we found no sign of him until the very end- although I did succeed in winning the approval of Robin's family, which is some consolation. At last we found where this Scarecrow was hiding, in an abandoned holy site on the campus of Gotham's university. We attacked and succeeded in capturing the madman..." Starfire sighed and put her head in her hands. "…Only to discover that the Scarecrow had not taken Beastboy, and we had been tricked. Now our friend is still missing, we have no clues to start investigating, and the trail is months old. I fear we may not be able to succeed, Silky, and my heart is heavy with sorrow."

The yellow worm wriggled in Starfire's arms, doing everything he knew of to cheer her up. He nuzzled at her cheek, slicked her ear, rolled around like a ball... all without gaining any reaction from his mistress. Finally, Silky seemed to give up and lay down beside her, until his stomach rumbled loudly. That caused Starfire to laugh and get up from her bed.

"It seems you are still hungry, my little bumgorf" the young princess said, picking her pet up and floating to the door. "Perhaps you have learned that concrete and stone are not good food for Silkys? Come, I will prepare you a more suitable meal."

The pair made their way down to the kitchen where Kitten sat, nursing a cup of coffee and staring at the wall. Starfire headed to the fridge and found a small container of leftover stew for her pet. Setting it on the floor, she released Silky before going to the table to sit. At the sound of the chair scraping across the floor, Kitten finally seemed to register her presence.

"Hey, Kori, what are you doing up?" the ex-villain asked, before glancing at the floor. Seeing Silky her eyes grew wide. "Hey! That's X-239! What in the world is it doing here?"

At the sound of her voice Silky looked up from his meal and emitted a loud squeal before bolting into Starfire's arms once more. Starfire, confused, stroked him on the back. "This is Silky, not X-239, and he is my beloved pet. How is it that you know him, friend Kate? And why does he seem to fear you so?"

Kitten sighed and seemed embarrassed. "X… That is, SILKY was a creation of my father's. He meant it to be a pet for me- he engineered a giant caterpillar with the intelligence and longevity of a spaniel. Unfortunately, I was still… well, you remember what I was like. I didn't want a worm for a pet, and I guess I treated the little guy pretty badly. He started running off, and Daddy said he'd use him in one of his plans. "

Starfire nodded. "Silky was turned into a giant moth, but when they were turned into caterpillars Beastboy and I decided to adopt him. I remember thinking he was very different from the other caterpillars." Turning to the pet in question she began to speak in a soothing tone. "Kate is our friend now, my little Silky, and she will no longer mistreat you. Is that not so, Kate?"

"Yeah, um, Silky" Kitten replied, unnerved by her friends glare as she asked the question. "I'll be good."

Apparently mollified, Silky scampered down to return to his meal. Kitten took another sip from her coffee. "Anyway, what are you doing up, Kori? I thought you'd be tired after all that happened today."

Starfire shook her head. "I am weary indeed, but I cannot sleep. I cannot help but think of my friends' pain. Of Beastboy in captivity, of Robin's frustration, of Raven's heartache… all my friends suffer and I cannot do anything to aid them. Worse, I cannot even see how things could improve for truly there seems to be no hope at all."

Kitten frowned. She knew that someone else, someone wiser or smarter than her, would know how to fix this. Would know just the right thing to say to make the alien girl feel better and restore her hope and optimism. She did the best she could for her friend. "There, there." She said, awkwardly patting the taller girl on the back. "I'm sure it isn't that bad. I mean, Robin's supposed to be a genius detective, right? I'm sure he'll pick up the trail really soon. It'll turn out okay."

Starfire sniffed and gave a weak smile. "I thank you for trying, my friend." Rubbing her nose, she decided to change the subject. "And what are you doing upright at this late hour?"

"I couldn't sleep- Robin interrupted… well, he interrupted something I was enjoying for the first time in a long while." Kitten growled. "Kinda hard to relax after that."

A large bead of sweat appeared on Starfire's forehead as she understood what her friend meant. "I see. Could you not try again? I can guarantee that you will not be interrupted by anyone."

Kitten laughed, picturing Starfire standing guard outside her door all night. "No, Kori, that won't be necessary. I'm still not used to living in the same building as so many other people. It's kinda hard for me to, y'know, 'relax' when I know there's a whole bunch of people around, even when I know they can't hear me. " She shrugged and took another sip of coffee. "It's irrational, and I'm working on it, but for right now romance is finished for tonight."

"Has it been hard for you, then? Finding time for intimacy?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah" Kitten replied with a sigh "And it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better, what with the move and all."

"Move? What move?" Starfire asked, a hint of urgency entering her voice. "You cannot be thinking of leaving Jump City? Not now, when we need all the assistance we can obtain!"

"'Fraid so, Kori. As the main Communications officer for the team, I hear a lot of news and it tells me to start packing. The new Titan's North headquarters in Minneapolis has been finished for a while now. While the Titan's were off in Gotham City, the mayor was willing to let us stay here, but with you guys back he's gonna start asking why we aren't taking up our duties like we said we would." Kitten finished her coffee and rose to wash out the mug. "It's not even like we can blame him- they're having real problems with super criminals in the Northern part of the country, mainly because of a low population of heroes. So, I figure CMJ will be announcing the move pretty soon."

"I shall be sorry to see you go, my friend." Starfire said sincerely "I have seen little of you since you became… er, since you stopped…" The alien girl trailed off with embarrassment, unable to find a way of finishing her sentence that didn't insult her friend.

"Since I stopped being a brat? It's all right, Kori, you can say it." Kitten laughed. "Yeah, we have been kinda busy haven't we? Well, I'll tell you what- you and your little Bird have an open invite to come visit us up north any time you want. As soon as you guys settle this problem and find the Green Guy, you come up for a long weekend, okay?"

"I shall!" Starfire exclaimed, happier than she'd been in a while. Then she gave a massive yawn. "And now, I shall prepare for slorvax. Come, Silky, let us return to my chamber."

"Yeah, I'd better get ready to turn in too." Kitten said, moving to the door. "G'night Kori, g'night Silky. Sleep well, I got a feeling it'll be a busy day tomorrow."

A/N  
>Sorry about the delay- things in my life have, as the French say, un petit peut Nucking Futs.<p>

A bit of a recap, aimed at making sure we're all on the same page, and a bit of foreshadowing. This chapter is also a form of apology- see, when writing both Joker's Wild and Recovery I totally forgot about Silky. Which is odd, because I like the little maggot- both funny and cute-in-a-gross-way.

I was actually surprised that no one commented on Cassie's little secret from last chapter. Maybe nobody noticed? Or maybe my audience has gotten a bit blase.

Next chapter- the Hunt Begins!


	3. Chapter 3

Just as Kitten predicted, Captain Marvel Junior assembled both teams early the next morning to announce that the Titans North would be moving to their new home in two days.

"It isn't that we don't recognize your trouble or that we don't want to help" the young leader assured the other Titans. "But the mayor of Minneapolis is starting to get concerned about the safety of the city- and he's not alone. The mayors of nearby cities also contributed to our bases construction, because they wanted a super team active in the region, and they want to know why that isn't happening. More than that, though, the area itself needs us. There aren't many super heroes in that part of the country, and the local criminals have been taking advantage of that."

"I understand" Robin sighed. "I was really hoping to have your help in searching the city, though. As it is, we're going to be hard pressed to look for Beastboy and keep up with our normal duties."

"Well, it isn't all bad news" Fang said, sipping from a mug of coffee. "A lot of my old buddies are keeping their eyes and ears open for news of your friend. They're scattered across the underworld- some in the Tongs, some in street gangs, one or two in corrupt unions and a couple of small time hustlers- so they should be able to turn up SOMETHING."

"Thanks, Fang." Robin said with a small grin. "I knew your… um, your past would come in handy. Did you make arrangements for them to contact us? I don't want it getting out that the Titans have connections in the criminal world. We've got enough PR problems as it is."

Fang's spidery face somehow gave the impression of smirking. "Yeah, yeah, can't have the press know you're anything but a bunch of goody two-shoes. They'll contact me via e-mail, I'll pass it along to you."

"All right. When do you leave?" Robin asked, taking a healthy swig from his own mug.

Captain Marvel Junior let out a long breath. "The day after tomorrow, I'm afraid- our team has lost quite a bit of respect from the authorities already and I want to start repairing the damage as soon as possible. Most of us will spend today packing our things and getting ready to leave- it'll take a while to get our equipment ready to move, not to mention our personal belongings. Kate will brief you on what's been going on in town, and Stargirl will give you a rundown on the technical adjustments we had to make. But before we do any of that, I suggest we all get some breakfast- I baked us some muffins. Just my way of apologizing for leaving you guys so suddenly. "

After the meeting broke up, Raven wandered up to the room Beastboy and Cyborg had shared. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, and she'd wanted to spend some time among her boyfriends things. This was more than just a way of easing the pain of separation, although that was also part of it. Every individual had a psychic resonance- a 'vibe' or 'aura' as some called it- which was completely unique. By opening her mind, Raven could use her empathic abilities to home in on a particular person's vibe in order to track them down. It wasn't an exact science and it only worked at a relatively short range, but it was one more tool that she could use to find him.

The problem was, he had been gone for so long that she was no longer sure she COULD trace his aura accurately, despite how close they'd gotten before he was taken. The differences between one person's psychic trail and another were extremely subtle, like the differences between fingerprints, and she needed to refresh herself before she would feel confident bringing it up with Robin. Fortunately, people left a psychic residue on objects if they kept them for long enough- by handling Beastboy's possessions, she might be able to reacquire the sense of him. While she had no prurient intentions, she recognized that it might be best if she did this in private so as to avoid misunderstandings.

When she arrived at her destination, however, she found Cyborg already inside working on something at his desk, apparently oblivious to her presence. For a moment, Raven considered backing out of the room- after all, the rite she needed to employ was rather strange, and could seem creepy or crazy to someone who didn't understand it. She steeled her will- she had to do this as soon as possible. Every tool they had at their disposal increased the chances of finding Beastboy, and that was far more important to her than any embarrassment.

Raven knocked twice against the frame of the open door. Cyborg looked up and greeted her with a smile. Raven nodded in return. "What are you doing up here?" she asked, moving over to where Beastboy's hammock hung from the walls. She noticed that it was still strung up, despite the fact that its occupant had been missing for months- she guessed Cyborg had done it to make the room feel less empty."I'd have thought you'd be downstairs with the others."

"I was, but I suddenly had an idea for a new scanner that might help us look for Beastboy." Cyborg said, gesturing to a schematic he was working on. "It hit me that, even if we stumbled across wherever he's being kept, we'd never know it unless he was in his human form. I mean, there're dozens of ways to hide or change his color, meaning we can't just look for green animals. So I thought we should come up with something that'd let us pick him BB's body temperature runs higher than normal, no matter what shape he's in- well, unless he's a reptile or a bug or something, but given how much he hates that kind of change, and how hard it is for him to hold it, I doubt that'll be a worry. I figure I could take a basic thermal scanner and add an analyzer, one that'll automatically note any anomalous readings."

"Wouldn't that be different for every animal?" Raven asked, a bit hesitant to voice an opinion since neither biology nor technology was her strong point.

"That's the problem." Cyborg said with a sigh. "I'm putting together a list of animals common to the Jump City area- y'know, house pets, pigeons, vermin and stuff like that. I'll spend some time online, look up average body temperatures among those species before I rig up the analysis system. It's not a perfect plan, I know, but I feel like I gotta do something to help my buddy. What about you? Why aren'cha downstairs?"

"I had a similar idea." Raven said, and quickly outlined her plan. Cyborg shrugged and agreed to help her search for something that possessed a strong enough psychic scent.

Meanwhile, in the Conference Room, Robin sat poring over the reports compiled by the Titans North over the last few months. He'd already scanned through the reports, and separated them into three categories: Old Super villains, New Criminals, and Other. He began working on the New Criminals file and was pleased to see that, for the most part, all the new players in Jump City's underworld were regular criminals- a cat burglar, a few new street gangs, and a nascent Mafia family. As for the few new super villains in town, he had to laugh- some of them were far too silly to take seriously. His favorite so far was The Poodle Queen- a woman who'd attempted to rob a jewelry store using a pack of trained toy poodles. The attempt had failed when the police had brought in their own dogs- and they soon discovered that the poodle pack was entirely female and in heat. He put that one and a few others aside to share with his friends.

Turning to the Other pile, he was pleased to see that the new team had taken their noncombat duties seriously. The Titans had always been active supporters of various charities and causes around Jump City, and the Titans North had performed this part of their duties admirably. Perhaps surprisingly, Fang and Jinx had received a number of commendations for their work with charities. Jinx had spent a lot of time entertaining patients at the cities hospitals, thrilling young and old with her magic while cracking jokes. Fang had given a number of talks to At-Risk youth about the dangers and grim realities of criminal life- and had shown off his impressive collection of scars to back up his points. Robin shook his head bemusedly, reflecting that if someone had told him a year before that Jinx and Fang would be exemplars of community service he would have laughed in their face. He smiled, realizing that the past few months hadn't been entirely bad- mostly, but not entirely..

The sound of the door sliding open brought him back to reality. Looking up, he laughed as Starfire came in, bearing a tray with a muffin and a large mug of coffee. The alien girl frowned as she approached, and Robin realized she thought he was laughing at her.

"It's a funny thing, Star" he said "I was just thinking that the last few months have brought some good things as well and then the best thing of all comes into the room."

"Why, Tim, I had no idea you enjoyed muffins so greatly" Starfire said with a teasing grin, leaning across to hand him his coffee. "Perhaps I should leave the two of you alone?"

Robin caught her by the hand and pulled her close for a kiss. When he had finished, the tall girl leaned back with a blush on her face.

"I see your mood has improved somewhat" she said, a little out of breath.

Robin laughed and waved at the New Criminals pile. "Well, first I got a good laugh reading through the list of new crooks who've been popping up in the city while we were gone. There're the usual thugs and gangsters, but some of the costumed criminals are really silly- Here, take a look at this one; Simon Pyman, alias The Baker of Crime"

Starfire scanned the file for a moment before her eyes went wide and she started giggling. "Th-This cannot be true" she managed to say. "This man cannot have attempted to rob a bank with a poisoned pie!"

Robin nodded. "Oh, he did. When the police arrived to stop him he sprayed them with a kind of icing-cement mixture to immobilize them. The Titans North stopped him when Superboy ate his weaponry"

Starfire laughed and put the file down. "This is truly funny. May I share it with our friends? I feel they are in need of the cheering."

"Sure, Star" Robin agreed, picking up a file from the Old Super villain pile. "Huh, that's weird. The Mad Hatter was caught in Los Angeles using his hats to take over local gangs- assembling what he called the Red Queen's Army. The Titans North were brought in as consultants since LA doesn't have much in the way of super heroes and the local police didn't have a clue how to stop the Hatter without killing his victims."

"I have never heard of this Angry Hatster before" Starfire remarked, noting the look of concern on her boyfriend's face.

"Mad Hatter, Starfire. He's a super criminal who usually operates in Gotham and uses special mind-control chips placed in hats to enslave his victims. He's fixated on the children's stories by Lewis Carroll- which explains the name he chose for his gang." Robin said thoughtfully. "It's not totally unheard of for him to operate outside of Gotham City, but it is very unusual."

Starfire moved to Robin's side to peer over his shoulder at the file. She saw the image of the Mad Hatter- a short man with unruly blonde hair, a large nose and prominent teeth. He wore a strange coat and a tall hat that was far too large for him. She saw something else that caught her attention and she tapped it with one finger. "Who is this woman who was captured with him? This Vanessa Hollingridge who calls herself 'Queen Alice'?" she asked.

"Huh? I must have missed that." Robin looked at the item in question and groaned. "Oh great, the two of them seem to have been romantically involved. The world did NOT need another Harley Quinn. Well, I'll have to keep an eye on this- I'll contact the LAPD and ask them to send us all the information they have on the Hatter and this Queen Alice. Thanks for the coffee, Star, but was there anything else?"

"Oh, yes! I had forgotten. The Titans North wish to order pizza to give them a proper party of away going, and they asked if we would join them." Starfire reported. "They have also asked for assistance in the packing, since they have very little time before they are expected in their new city."

Robin nodded his head thoughtfully, but then his face broke out in a wide (and fairly nasty) smile. "I don't think even with our help they'll be able to finish in time. So, I think I'd better call for some help…"

Meanwhile, Raven and Cyborg continued their search for an appropriate item to use in the search for Beastboy. It proved to be harder than they thought it would be- in fact they'd been at it for more than three hours and had yet to find anything really suitable. The trouble was that despite appearances, Beastboy placed little value on possessions. While Beastboy owned a lot of things, he seemed to have little actual attachment to most of them. His clothing, his books (mostly comics and joke books), his videogames- all possessed only a faint hint of psychic resonance, indicating that he had no real connection to any of them. Still, the search went on with Cyborg sorting through his buddies books while Raven went through his (surprisingly large) collection of toys and knickknacks.

"Man, who woulda thought BB'd be so non-materialist?" Cyborg joked, putting aside another book. While he couldn't read the psychic imprint of an object the way Raven could, in the last hour he'd come up with a system all his own: the less used an object appeared to be, the less likely it was to have a deep emotional connection to its owner. Raven had cautioned him that it wasn't a foolproof system, but admitted that it made a useful rule of thumb. "I mean, he doesn't seem to care about half his stuff, even though he's got so much of it!"

"Beastboy once told me that he was more interested in getting things than he was in having them. I think it's a result of his animal instinct to hunt." Raven remarked, as she held up a small yarn doll for inspection. It was obviously homemade and had the message 'thank you Beastboy' stitched onto its chest. She eventually put it aside- although it carried strong emotional resonance, it was difficult to discern Garfield's emotions from those of the dolls maker.

"That's interesting. I wonder if… OH HO!" Cyborg exclaimed, pulling a battered photo album from the shelf. He tossed it to Raven who wordlessly caught it and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the faintest hint of a smile played upon her lips.

"It's got a relatively strong vibe" She confirmed "But I don't want to stop with just one focus- let's keep looking."

"Fair enough" Cyborg replied, putting the album aside. "But I wanna look these photos over with the others later- I could use some fun."

"Hmm." Raven said, declining to comment. The truth was, she suspected it would take more than a night of photos to improve her mood. "Let's wait until the Titans North have left. Some of these pictures are certain to be personal to Gar, and he hasn't even met most of the other team, so I doubt he'd be comfortable showing them to strangers."

The empath reached up to one shelf and pulled down a small object. As her fingers brushed against it she was shocked by the strength of emotion tied to it. Eagerly she pulled it down, only to be puzzled. It seemed to be nothing but a translucent plastic jar filled with water. She held it up to the light, and examined it. The Jar seemed to be airtight, and quite old, but there was nothing else about it that seemed unusual. She gestured for Cyborg to come over.

"Whatcha found, Raven?" Cyborg asked. "Don't tell me the little cabbage-head's been saving his spit or something?"

Raven leveled a glare at her companion. "Hardly. Whatever this is, it's extremely important to Gar- its emotional resonance is unbelievably strong. Any ideas?"

Cyborg took the jar and held it up to his augmetic eye, which glowed red as he scanned it. "Seems to be ordinary water, probably from a river- not enough salt to be seawater and to many particles of plantlife to be lakewater. Good thing he kept it sealed or that stuff would've decomposed. I wonder why…" Cyborg's voice trailed off and his human eye widened. After a moment, he spoke again in a hushed voice. "Di- Did Gar ever tell you how his parents died?"

"Yes, they died in a river accident." Raven realized what she'd said and looked at the jar in Cyborg's hand. "You think…?"

"That Gar took some water from the river that killed his parents? Yeah, yeah I think he did. It explains why this jar means so much to him." Cyborg shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Man, I don't like this thing. Feels like I'm holding a murder weapon."

Raven plucked the jar from his hands and placed it next to the album, shuddering slightly as she did so. She understood what Cyborg meant- now that she knew what the jar was, it seemed a far more malicious object. "I think we have enough" Raven said softly as she swallowed to relieve her dry throat. "The album and… and the water should give me a good feel for Gar's psychic fingerprint."

"Fine by me" Cyborg said "That jar thing really creeped me out. Let's go get some chow and then help the others pack up."

* * *

><p>In his tank at Jump City prison, Otto von Furth- better known to the world as the monstrous Plasmus- dreamed. He'd spent most of his life dreaming, ever since the industrial accident that had destroyed his life, causing him to become a gelatinous monster whenever he was awake. As a result of this, and with his own express permission, the Federal Government had created a special sleeping tank to guarantee that Otto would remain as secure as possible. The tank was filled with a specially concocted sleeping gas which kept the occupant asleep (or at the very most, semiconscious) without endangering his health. The glass surrounding him was incredibly thick, designed to contain his alter-ego should the gas fail to keep him asleep. A complex system of intravenous tubes ensured that the slumbering man would not perish of malnutrition, while microscopic electrodes stimulated his muscles to prevent them degenerating to the point where his health would suffer.<p>

But perhaps most impressive of all was the sophisticated 'dream machine' which had been implanted in von Furth's brain. When they drew up plans for Plasmus' containment cell, the designers had realized that they were essentially condemning a man to an eternal coma for something he had no control over. They recognized that this was morally and politically unacceptable, and had they been other people they might have refused to continue the project. But the design team had been drawn from the most brilliant minds at Cadmus, STAR labs, Waynetech and Lexcorp- when faced with an impossible problem, they simply did the impossible to solve it. The result of their work was the Unconscious Cerebral Altering/Monitoring System, more commonly known as the dream machine. Using a combination of implanted neuro-electrodes, chemical infusions and subliminal cues, the machine enhanced von Furth's dreams- making them longer, more lucid, more coherent and more intense. It had taken a great deal of effort, and involved some technology 'confiscated' from various super villains, but in the end they agreed it had been worth it. Although he was forever barred from the waking world, Otto wouldn't feel the lack- his dreams provided him with a world that was, in many regards, far superior.

Unlike the rest of the security surrounding Plasmus, the dream machine was not kept near the sleeping tank as it was simply too bulky. Instead it was kept in the next room, and monitored by a three party team- one technician, one guard, and one psychologist. Each trio worked an eight hour shift, monitoring the dream machine and making whatever corrections or adjustments were necessary. On this day, the 4pm-12am shift was writing up the days report- it had been a fairly quiet day, with their charges dreams needing only minimal adjustment to prevent nightmares and awakening. Precisely on time, the new team arrived- only instead of the usual technician, a new woman was coming in.

The outgoing guard, Zach Berens, held up a hand to stop the new arrival. "Where's Mike, the usual tech? Who's this?"

The psychologist, Doctor Vasquez, put a hand on the new man's shoulder. "Mike's been reassigned. This is his replacement, Sally Holmes."

"Uh-huh" Zach said suspiciously. The doctor seemed to be vouching for her, and while he'd only been hired a year ago, Zach thought he was fairly trustworthy. Even so… "Don't mind if I check that, do you?"

"Not at all." Sally said, smiling as she handed him her ID card.

Zach took the card and moved to the nearby phone, dialing the shift commander's office. "Sir? It's Zach Berens over and the dream machine. We've got… Yes, that's right… I see. So he's over at STAR labs now? And she's been fully checked out? Ah ha, clean as can be, I gotcha. Okay, thank you sir." Hanging up, he looked at the new group with a sheepish smile. "Ah, sorry about that. Got to be sure."

"Hey no problem" Sally laughed "Just doing your job. Now go home so we can start doing ours."

Eight hours later, doctor Vasquez and Sally finished their shift and, leaving the guard to deliver their reports, headed for the parking lot. When they reached their cars (parked side by side), the doctor spoke.

"You inserted the programming?" His voice was quiet and thick with tension. "The subliminal messages are being broadcast into his brain?"

"Y-yeah. It wasn't too hard, given the specs I got beforehand. I was able to practice and refine the necessary changes until I was sure it'd go perfectly." Sally replied, her own tension quickly giving way to anger "Graduated top of my class in MIT . I could have had any job I wanted- Lexcorp, Waynetech, Shinazami… But no, because of one stupid STUPID mistake, I have to take a five year contract in this hellhole, all so I can alter some code in a monster's dreams."

"I know" Vasquez sighed "I had to do the same one year ago. But I think our role in this is ending, and with a little luck our mysterious… employer… will never bother us again."

A/n

Sorry about the lateness. Things have been happening, but the situation will improve soon enough (I hope).

Plasmus is one of the few things I disliked about the Titans cartoon. He had a really interesting premise- an innocent man who turns into a monster when awake and has to be kept asleep- but very little was done with it, despite (or maybe because of) his extensive history in the comics. Even fanfic rarely uses him as anything but a rampaging beast. I doubt that will change in THIS story, but who knows what the future will bring.

The Titans really do seem to attract silly villains, don't they? I'm thinking you'll see a few more before this story is over.

Yep, I gave the Hatter a girlfriend/henchgirl. I figure ol' Jervis deserves some company.

Next chapter: CAMEOS!


	4. Chapter 4

All too soon, the time came for the Titans North to begin preparations to move out of the Tower. Naturally, this would be a complicated task- it wasn't as though they could simply box up their possessions and throw them into a moving van before driving to Minneapolis. For one thing, the Titans West were loaning the new team a great deal of sensitive equipment- scanning systems, communications arrays, and defensive devices for the most part. These had to be carefully disconnected from the Tower's systems, gently disassembled and then packed into nondescript crates. There was also the issue of the case files and dossiers which needed to be shared, and had to be sorted through to decide what was necessary and what wasn't.

For another the entire process had to be conducted in near total secrecy. If criminals knew that the Titans North were moving in now, they would realize that this would be the best time for them to strike and eliminate the group before they could defend themselves. Therefore, the group's equipment and belongings would be shipped through a variety of different companies under a number of identities. This, Robin had explained, was standard protocol for the Batclan, used so that even if one or more shipments were destroyed or intercepted, the team wouldn't be crippled.

Finally there was the simple problem of manpower coordination. Everyone had to have an assigned task and a time limit. Otherwise, things would rapidly descend into chaos with some jobs having too many people and others not enough. So it was that, before anything else was done, Robin and Captain Marvel Junior assembled their teams in the Common Room and began to divide tasks.

Robin and Captain Marvel Junior would go through the files together and copy the relevant ones to an encrypted system designed by Oracle. Cyborg and Stargirl would carefully disassemble the machines and electronics before packing them in specially prepared crates which Fang would secure using his webbing. Jinx would be in charge of packing away the team's personal possessions- clothing, books, games, and so forth. Superboy, Starfire and Raven would help move the resulting packages to the main storage bay, and eventually take them out to sites throughout Jump City to be picked up by the various moving companies. These companies would be selected and contracted by Kitten, using shell companies provided by Waynetech.

Before everyone left the common room to begin work Jinx stood up, a frown on her face. "Um, yeah, Rob? You gave me one of the biggest jobs and didn't leave anyone to help me. Plus, I'm not real comfortable going through the boys clothes" She paused to shoot a smirk at CMJ, whose hand rested on her shoulder "Well, not when the boys aren't in them, anyway."

Robin smiled and tapped his communicator. "Oh, I didn't say you'd do it alone. In fact, I asked someone to come lend a hand- all the way from Fawcett City…"

A red blur streaked through the open window, bringing with it a tremendous gust of wind which blew the carefully prepared lists and inventory papers around the room, obscuring everyone's vision. When the air finally stilled, a man in a red uniform similar to CMJ's stood in the center of the room. He was tall and muscular, with a chiseled jaw and perfectly styled black hair. His eyes were extremely alert, darting around the room to take everyone in, while at the same time being warm and friendly. As his eyes settled on CMJ, the young hero consciously straightened up and pulled away from Jinx- a reaction which caused the former villainess to frown.

"C-Cap!" He stammered, forcing a smile onto his face. "I-I didn't know you were coming! Why didn't I know you were coming? I'm sorry the place is such a mess…"

Captain Marvel strode forward to put a hand on his former sidekick's shoulder. "Robin asked me to come and help you move" he said, his voice deep and full of authority. "I was happy to come- you barely said anything about your teammates in your emails, and I wanted to get to know them a little. So, here I am ready to give all the help I can to, uhm … please pardon me, miss, but I don't believe I caught your name."

"Jinx." The pink haired sorceress replied, glaring at her boyfriend. "I'm Junior's girlfriend… for the moment. Now, if you'll all pardon me, I have to get started on packing- in Junior's room, I think." With that, she flew out the window.

"Uh, Cap, it's not that it isn't great to see you but could I just have a minute with Jinx?" CMJ said, trying but not quite succeeding to keep the worry from his voice. The older hero frowned but, sensing that this wasn't the time to ask questions, gave a reluctant nod.

CMJ flew up the Tower, headed for his room- Jinx had said she'd start there, after all and she'd looked like she had vengeance on her mind. When he reached the window he had to dive headfirst into the room in order to dodge a bolt of pink energy. He hit the ground rolling, and came up just a foot away from Jinx, who glared as she readied another burst of magical power.

"Explain. Now." She growled. "Why didn't you tell your boss- your MENTOR about me? About us?"

"I haven't told the Cap'n about ANY of you" CMJ said with a sigh. "The captain… well… he's got a really black and white view of the world. He's all for giving people second chances, but if he knew that fully half my team was once on the other side of the law he'd worry about me. Not to mention that I'm dating one- he's had plenty of female villains trying to seduce him and I'm worried that he might think the same about you, if he didn't get to know you first. I wanted to introduce you first, then once he knows how great you are, tell him about us. Once he'd gotten to know what a swell person you are I knew he'd be fine with us. Plus, I really didn't want him finding out I'm team leader just yet- which would be kinda hard to hide without lying."

"Why not? You've done pretty well as leader so far." Jinx snorted derisively, but at least she let the energy around her fist dissipate. She felt a bit better knowing that he wasn't ashamed of her or anything. Taking that as a good sign, CMJ moved a little closer and ran a hand through her pink hair.

"Cap's a really hard act to follow, and our team still has a few issues we need to work out." He replied softly. "I wanted to be able to invite him to see us when we were really ready- to impress him with how much I've done. I want him to know that I can do this, that I can be a good leader."

"Well, too late for that now. He knows about you and he knows about us." Jinx said, leaning her head against his chest. "But I guess I can forgive you- I know what problems you capes have trusting us ex-criminals. But as penance, you're going to take me to the big rock concert in Gotham next week, got it? We should be able to fly there and be back the next morning mister Speed-of-Mercury."

"Yes, dear." CMJ said with a smile.

"AND you're going to let me style your hair before we go. It's a punk show and you need to fit in." Jinx said this with a catlike grin.

The young hero sighed. For some reason, Jinx loved putting his hair into outrageous and undignified styles. She knew that his hair would return to normal the next time he transformed, and had previously left him shaved, mohawked and spike-headed as the whim took her. But it made her happy, and he did need to make it up to her, so all he said was "Yes, dear."

The afternoon passed quickly, as the heroes performed their tasks. CMJ and Robin were particularly busy, since the main Titans team had a lot of files to sift through. They wanted the new team to have information on any and all major super villains and criminal organizations known to operate in the northern part of the country. That covered a lot of ground and Robin had never thought to organize his files based on geographic area, preferring to group criminals based on danger level and name. As such, the task required Robin to flip through the files one by one and pick out those that he felt were relevant, while CMJ copied those Robin passed on and hoped that the Boy Wonder didn't overlooking anything dangerous. It seemed to take forever, but eventually the job was done and the two former sidekicks made their way to the Common Room.

There they found their team mates seated in front of the massive television, watching as Superboy and Cyborg battled to the death on one of the many, many fighting games in the metal man's collection. Raven and Batgirl were on the far side of the couch, quietly meditating. Kitten and Stargirl were discussing plans for the move, while Starfire sat nearby and listened. Robin flopped down on the couch next to Starfire and kissed her forehead.

"Hey, sweetie. How was your day?" He asked tiredly.

The alien girl frowned, and tentatively licked her own arm. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as though considering what she'd found. Turning to Robin, her brows knit with confusion, she asked. "Robin, for what reason do you refer to me as a sweet? I do not taste any differently than I normally do, do I?"

Superboy looked away from his game with a leer on his face, plainly about to say something. Without even turning away from her conversation with Kitten, Stargirl smacked the Boy of Steel in the side of the head with her cosmic rod. Scowling, he turned back to his game, muttering about how he was never allowed to have any fun.

Robin glared at his friend before turning back to Starfire. "It's a term of endearment, Star. Y'know, like Honey, Sweetheart, cupcake, sugar, sweetie pie…" The Boy Wonder trailed off as he saw his girlfriend furiously writing things down on a small notepad.

"Curious" she said as she closed her notepad. "Why do Terrans use items of confectionery as terms of endearment? If I were to refer to a Tamaranean male as a kup'ta berry, I believe he would be most offended."

"So would I!" Robin said, growling with mock anger. "I'm the only one you give pet names to!"

"I see." Starfire laughed, deciding to just accept the strange custom. "So you wish to be my kup'ta berry? A small, somewhat tart berry with extremely bright coloring and a thin peel?"

"Hey, sounds about right to me" Cyborg quipped as he performed a devastating combo to finish the match. "He's small, brightly colored, thin skinned, and so tart he's downright bitter! Hey, Rob, better make sure no one accidentally makes you into pie!"

Robin scowled at his friend, while the others laughed. Finally, Starfire leaned over to kiss him. "Do not be angry, my kup'ta berry" she said in a low, husky voice. "I think that it is a good name for you. I have never been able to resist kup'ta berries- they are my very favorite sweet."

"Well, okay." Robin replied, mollified a bit. "But just don't call me that in public okay? Other people might not understand what it means."

At that moment, Jinx and Captain Marvel entered the room. Jinx always enjoyed teasing her boyfriend by flirting, innocently, with other guys. She'd told him over and over that it meant nothing, but she still got a kick out of his reactions- CMJ was far too polite to openly show he was angry, and so he generally just fumed with an expression on his face that she found absolutely adorable. So, when she walked into the room she already had one hand on Captain Marvel's shoulder, and the other on his chest. The older hero didn't seem to mind, as such, he just seemed a bit confused- which, in retrospect, should have been her first clue that something was wrong.

"Hey, Junior" she purred, glancing at her boyfriend. "Just thought I'd have some fun with your boss. Y'know, see what the full-on Marvel experience is like. Whattaya say, Captain? Feel like showing a girl a good time?"

That's when things went wrong. Jinx had expected her boyfriend to settle into his normal angry sulk, and for Captain Marvel to either go along with the gag or to rebuff her. Either way, she'd let CMJ suffer a little longer but then settle next to him and reassure him that he wasn't getting rid of her that easily. To her eternal regret, things did not turn out that way.

Rather than sulking or fuming, CMJ leapt up and began bouncing up and down, his face manic with glee. "OOOOH! OOOH! Cap! Can I tell her? Let me tell her? Pleeeaassse?" He cried "Come on! I've been so good and this is SO perfect!"

In response, the scarlet-clad hero chuckled. "Now now, why tell her when we can show her? Just stand aside for a moment, please miss." A burly arm pushed Jinx a few feet away, before Captain Marvel turned his head up. "SHAZAM!"

The crack of lightning, the roar of thunder, the cloud of smoke… all had become familiar to the Titan's North over their time in the Tower. When the smoke eventually cleared, though, Captain Marvel was gone. Standing in his place was a young boy, perhaps eight years old, wearing a red sweater and brown pants. He looked up at Jinx and gave her an exaggerated wink- a wink that would have been more at home on the face of a dirty old man than on a boy too young to shave.

"So" he said, his voice high and full of barely suppressed laughter. "Pick you up at eight?"

Jinx stood silent, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. The room was quiet for a moment before Raven snorted- and as though that had been a signal, the young heroes all burst out laughing. Fang and Kitten leaned against one another for support, while Batgirl fell off the couch and landed on top of Superboy's back. Through it all, Jinx stood stock still, trying desperately to think of some way to recover her cool. For once she was unable to come up with a single joke, witticism or wry remark to salvage her dignity. Finally, she just started to laugh along with the others- after all, it was pretty funny when she thought about it.

After a while, the laughter died down and CMJ stood up. Moving over to Jinx he kissed her chastely on the forehead before bending down to look her in the eye.

"Jinx" he said in solemn tones "You've come to mean the world to me, but... You know that even if we live to be one hundred years old, I will never let you forget this, right?"

Jinx sighed and lowered her head into her hands. "I understand."

With their belongings packed and their equipment already en route, the Titans North took their leave of the Tower. By special arrangement, the team would be carried to their new home aboard the Justice League's Javelin ship. This had been arranged by Robin and designed to make sure the team appeared strong and trustworthy as they entered their city for the first time- after all, what better endorsement than to be given a ride by the most famous super-team on the planet? The Titan's North assembled on the Tower's roof and made their last goodbyes before boarding the ship.

As the Javelin took off, Robin heaved a sigh and turned to look at his team. "I was going to suggest we start planning our search for Beastboy" he said, heading back into the Tower "But I don't think any of us are feeling up to that just now. It's been a long, long day and I think we'd do better to get a night's rest before tackling the problem."

"I agree" Raven said "But before we all go to sleep, Cyborg and I found something among Beastboy's possessions which I think could cheer us all up."

"Oh yeah!" Cyborg exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I forgot about that! Guys, we found greenie's photo album! I vote we all crash on the couch and flip through it! Whattaya say?"

"Glorious!" Starfire cried "I would very dearly love to review the images of our missing friend! Perhaps there shall be images of him in his infancy- I am told that these can be most adorable and most amusing! May we do so, Robin? Please?"

Robin shared an amused glance with Batgirl. It was always amusing to him the way his team mates would make him feel like an indulgent father, and it was plain that the silent girl shared his amusement. "Well" he drawled, letting the corners of his mouth twitch up a bit "I don't know… have you kids done all your homework? Cleaned your rooms? Washed behind your ears? You did? Well then I think…"

Robin was interrupted by the blaring of the alarm. "I think we've got trouble" he said sourly "and that the photo album is gonna have to wait."

Racing to the Common Room, Robin activated the Titan's computer to search for the source of the disturbance. It didn't take him long to find it. "Robbery in progress at the Shirakawa Robotics! It's…" Robin trailed off, his face showing his bafflement. He re-checked the computer, and eventually had to admit that what he saw appeared to be accurate. Clearing his throat he resumed speaking, although he still couldn't believe what he was saying "The perpetrator is... the Condiment King? I guess? Um… Titans, go!"

A/N  
>A shorter chapter than normal, but I have a reason. You see, I just moved- not to a different house, not to a different area, not to a different city, not even to a different country. I moved to a different continent. I have forsaken my (relatively) balmy Mediterranean home for the brisk (read: freezing) Canadian winter.<p>

Aren't I clever?

This chapter, therefore, is shorter than normal since I'm a bit busy settling in/preventing hypothermia. Sorry about that.

Yes, I'm using the Condiment King. Originally, the next chapter was supposed to feature someone else (who may or may not make an appearance). But the background for Starfire's pickle addiction (back in chapter one) got me reminiscing about the guy, and I thought he'd be fun to write. Plus, he really feels like he BELONGS in the Titan's Rogues Gallery- he's got that weird mix of ridiculous and effective that meshes with the likes of Mad Mod, Ding Dong Daddy, and the Puppet King.

Next chapter: Action! Puns (oh the puns)! Schmaltz! And Silky's magical tap-dancing skills! Okay, maybe not that last one…


	5. Chapter 5

The Titans arrived at Shiragawa's downtown complex in near-record time. They found Commissioner Whyte waiting for them outside, a puzzled look on his face.

"I'm glad you're here" he said by way of greeting. "I…really wasn't sure what to do with this guy. Nothing in my training or experience is really much use against weird men wielding ketchup and mustard as weapons. I mean, it's just… I don't…"

Robin gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, sir, he's a difficult case to deal with. You said men, does that mean Condiment King has help?"

The commissioner nodded; the truth was that he was glad to be able to pass this particular problem along. "A couple of men he's hired- we think they're just local muscle, but he's armed them with his own weird gear. Don't assume those weapons are harmless either- one of my men was incapacitated by a hot sauce gun. Said it was like being maced, only worse since it didn't wash out of the eyes as easily. To make things even worse, it seems he's got hostages, some of the cleaning staff who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We think they've moved back to the building's cafeteria- there's an entrance in the building and a small back door which leads to the loading area."

The Boy Wonder grimaced- the fact that innocent people were in danger made this whole thing a lot less funny. "I understand, and we'll be careful. Titans!" He called to his team, who assembled around him. "Cyborg and Raven, I want you two to go in first and try to take out Condiment King's goons. Starfire, I want you to follow them and see to the hostages- make sure they get out safely. Cassie, you go in through the rear, I'll stay back just in case someone needs help. Titans, go!"

Cyborg and Raven moved quickly, knowing that in situations like this a speedy and sudden frontal assault was the best move. Their opponents were local goons, likely inexperienced, who had almost certainly heard stories about the prowess of Jump City's teenaged protectors. By attacking suddenly and with maximum force, the heroes would be able to throw them into fearful disarray and minimize the threat posed by their weapons. To that end, Raven used her powers to blow the front doors off as she and Cyborg charged into the cafeteria… only to slip on the floor and slide headfirst into the far wall.

As he struggled to regain his footing on the almost impossibly slick floor, Cyborg cursed soundly. "Man, what the hell IS this stuff?" Wiping one finger across the floor he brought, it up to his cybernetic eye for analysis. "Olive oil, engine lubricant, vinegar… salad dressing? I've been brought down by a modified SALAD DRESSING? Oh, I don't believe- WHOA!"

In his outrage and humiliation, the mechanical hero once more lost his footing. Further attempts to reach his feet proved futile as the super-slippery sauce had coated both his hands and his feet, preventing him from getting leverage to hoist himself up. He cursed under his breath- whether using his fists or his sonic cannon, all his attacks required him to be braced and balanced. Unless he found a way to get to his feet and get away from this slippery puddle, he'd be effectively out of the fight.

Behind him, Raven was having problems of her own. The impact had left her a little dizzy and disoriented, hardly optimal conditions for her to use her powers. She floated clear of the slippery surface and shook her head to clear it. Before she could help her team mate, a voice rang out from the other side of the cafeteria.

"Ah ha! I see my opponents have slipped into our midst, courtesy of my own super-slippery House Dressing. I suppose they meant to catch us unawares and rescue our hostages. Pity their saucy stratagem is a failure! But I guess these young heroes still need more seasoning! Salt, Pepper- you guard the hostages while I attend to our new guests."

The voice belonged to a tall, middle-aged man in a ridiculous costume. He wore a light green spandex bodysuit, with a large C in a black circle on his chest. On his head he wore a dark green cowl, clearly designed to resemble a pickle, while mirrored sunglasses hid his eyes. In his hands was a surprisingly complex looking weapon, with four barrels clearly designed to rotate, connected via hoses to a series of small tanks he wore on his back. It was the weapon that concerned Raven the most- while the rest of his outfit looked like something thrown together by an amateur, that gun looked well-designed and professional. Furthermore, in their last encounter at the pickle works, the villain had been armed with decidedly less professional weapons; a pair of modified squirt guns to be precise. Raven decided to end this quickly, to avoid danger to her or to the hostages.

She took a breath and prepared to recite her signature chant- her plan was to lift the Condiment King up and hold him immobile in the air until the police could take him away. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that simple, for no sooner had she opened her mouth to begin her chant than the villain fired a thin stream of red liquid directly into her mouth. Instantly, her tongue and gums were filled with searing, hot agony- completely disrupting her concentration. The violet-haired heroine fell to the floor and began scrambling around in a desperate attempt to get to her feet and find some form of relief for the fire in her mouth.

Meanwhile the Condiment King threw back his head and laughed- an over the top, maniacal, villain laugh that might have come straight out of an overacted melodrama. "Oh, I'm so sorry but I know all about your saucy little tricks. I decided to spice up your evening with my extra-strong hot sauce. Now, I've got to go and deal with your friends- who are no doubt trying to rescue my hostages- but just to make sure you don't get bitter, here's something for you to savor."

A touch to a panel on the side of his gun set the barrels rotating, and the costumed lunatic sprayed the prone heroes with a thick, paste-like substance. Almost immediately, the stuff hardened to become as strong as granite. Cyborg soon gave up struggling, realizing that as things were he stood little chance of breaking free. Raven, on the other hand, was entirely consumed by the burning in her mouth and continued to struggle wildly.

"My own personal recipe- a mixture of mayonnaise, bacon, and concrete." The Condiment King said with a wink. "For when you want a sandwich with some real crunch. Should go nicely with the Super-Hot Sauce I gave the young lady. Bon appetit, my young friends- as much as I've enjoyed this appetizer it's time to move on to the main course."

Striding into the next room, the madman noted his henchmen busily tying up a sleeping orange girl who was covered in dripping yellow sauce. "Well done, my sinister sauciers!" he crowed "I take it the special plan I cooked up for our bland little alien friend worked?"

"Like a charm yer majesty" Salt replied "Once we sprayed her with the mustard, she couldn't resist taking a little taste. Sleeping drugs in the stuff did the rest. Where you want us to put her?"

"Put her with her friends- I'd hate for her to get lonely when she wakes up. Keep a sharp look out, because it's only a matter of time before her other friend manages to ketchup with us." Condiment King laughed at his own wit.

"Hey, boss? What about the other one?" Pepper asked. "Ain't there supposed to be another Titan? Like, a girl who came to take the green brat's place?"

"Tut tut, my Sinister Seasonings! Your king has matters well in hand- you needn't concern yourselves" the Condiment King laughed again, and waved his minions away. "Now, back to work! Remember what I told you before, boys, and I'll garnish you with riches! HA!"

As his henchmen moved to carry out his orders, the self-proclaimed Sinister Sovereign of Sauces strolled smugly through the empty room. Everything was working out, for once- the Titans had behaved just as he'd thought they would, splitting their forces to simultaneously rescue the hostages and attack him. The two attackers had been dealt with, as had one would-be rescuer. According to his information that left only one Titan to deal with- Robin. The Boy Wonder who'd aided in his disastrous defeat in Gotham City. The other Titans had been mere side-dishes, taken only to clear the way to tonight's goal of looting Shirazawa's advanced technology, but this would be retribution, liberally seasoned with the sweetest spice of all, vengeance.

"You know, someone once said that revenge is a dish best served cold" he mused, casting his gaze to the shadows that enveloped the corners of the room. "I don't know much about that- condiments and sauces are really more my thing. But I know that whether you're making a sauce or making a plan, the key is preparation- so I did a little research before hand, knowing that tonight would see a second helping of conflict between us."

Robin, seeing that the element of surprise had gone, stepped warily out of the darkness. "Conflict? I don't remember there being any conflict- I remember that we met, you started ranting, and Batman beat you like a cheap punk. Or maybe you mean the time you attacked the pickle factory, and my team beat you in less time than it took us to get there." he said, choosing his words deliberately. Condiment King was inherently unstable, and prone to rages and rants. If he could be angered he'd likely forget whatever intricate plan he'd concocted and would be much easier to handle.

To his surprise, the Condiment King simply laughed. "Ah, but I was all alone in Gotham, my saucy friend, facing the dynamic duo. I was also outgunned and outnumbered during my last trip to Jump City. But now the tables have turned- I've defeated all your teammates, and all alone… well, I'm afraid you just don't cut the mustard on your own. Particularly against a mind as sharp as mine."

Robin circled warily, unwilling to attack until he knew what the madman was talking about. "What are you talking about? What've you done that's so brilliant? You beat my team mates by sheer luck."

"Luck is one word for it- preparation is another" the madman said with a confident sneer. "I spent a great deal of time researching your team this time. I knew that the metal man, Cyborg, needs a steady surface for his attacks whether using his fists or his cannon- so I created my super slippery salad oil. Yur gray friend depends on concentration and emotional balance to use her powers, both of which are impossible to use when your mouth is filled with a custom one hundred thousand Scoville hot sauce. Lastly, I knew the orange girl possesses a commendable devotion to mustard, so I laced my special blend of mustard with sleeping toxins I purchased from Mad Mod- designed to work on her alien physique. This just leaves you, the side dish of the man who humiliated me so long ago- a young man, dripping with overconfidence, burdened with leadership. You're eager to prove yourself alone, yet desiring to protect your team mates. You'd send the others off in teams to accomplish the objectives, but hang back to watch over them and serve up assistance when needed. To draw you out, all I had to do was beat the entrees you call a team."

Robin fumed. He couldn't really quibble with Condiment King's analysis of him- not only was it accurate, it had allowed the most comically unsuited supervillain he'd ever met to predict his plans. At the same time, though, he let a slow smile cross his face. "Um, sorry to burst your bubble, Condiment Clod, but aren't you forgetting someone?"

A twitch was just visible beneath the dark glasses over the villains eyes, but his voice remained casual. "Oh, I don't think so. I know all about your little green friend's disappearance. You replaced him with Batgirl quickly enough, but your trip to Gotham tells me I have nothing to worry about on that score. Why else would you return to the site of my great defeat if not to return your extra helping of hero to the kitchens?"

Before Robin could reply the doors burst open and one of the Condiment King's hired goons came sailing backwards into the room, landing in a heap not far from the opposite wall. Close behind came Batgirl, who leapt through the air to deliver a flying kick directly into the food-obsessed villain's stomach. Landing easily on her feet, the masked girl shook her head once.

"Not returning to the kitchen. Just reheating." She said as she plucked a pair of handcuffs from her utility belt. Crouching, she put the cuffs on the gasping villain.

Robin moved to do the same to the fallen henchman, but paused as he crouched to look at Batgirl with a disapproving look on his face. "Just reheating?" he said. "Really?"

"Still new to jokes." Batgirl replied with a shrug. "Never even tried joking during a fight before."

"Well, on the bright side you can only improve from here." Robin said, rising up and dusting off his hands. "Let's go help the others and take this loser to the police. I want to know why he turned back to crime and why he came back to Jump.

* * *

><p>Life is seldom as simple as fiction. In stories, there is always a clearly defined turning point in the characters life- the moment she meets her true love, the night his wife is killed, the interview that changes their lives, and so on. In real life, monumental changes are usually the result of a long process, with no one pivotal moment. Very few people can look back on their life, point to a specific instance, and say "That was when it all changed."<p>

Buddy Standler, alias the Condiment King, was one such person. He'd always loved making people laugh, even as a child, and what's more he was good at it. He was the class clown, the school jokester and the funniest man in his little suburb. He'd always known that it was what he wanted to do and as soon as he could he took his act on the road. He paid his dues, spending years working in little nightclubs too poor to hire bigger names, and entering amateur nights as often as he could. Slowly but surely he'd worked his way up, getting jobs at bigger and bigger clubs and being invited to various comedy festivals. Eventually, he made it to the big leagues- he was in demand at comedy clubs all over the country, he'd been given his own comedy TV show, and there was even talk of movie deals.

When he was invited to host the Gotham City "Laugh-Off" competition, his agent urged him to accept. Buddy needed to show the public he still remembered his roots, she'd told him, and he'd agreed. In truth, he'd needed very little convincing- he still remembered his first appearance at the Laugh-Off, and how hard it had been to take away third place. Returning as a judge would be nice, and he might be able to give some of the new blood a helping hand.

A few days before the competition, he'd arrived in Gotham and checked into his hotel. Just as he was beginning to unpack there was a knock at the door, he went to answer it… and that was it. That was The Moment. The moment when his life collapsed around him and all his hard work was destroyed. Many times over the years, he'd cursed himself for opening that door. No sooner had he done so, then a thug had slapped something onto his neck.

Later, after the Batman brought him down and removed the chip, people would ask him what he'd been thinking. Even with the Mad Hatter's control chip at work, they'd ask, surely he should have seen that it was a bad idea to put on a ridiculous outfit and try to rob one of Gotham's most famous restaurants. The thing of it was, it hadn't. It had seemed only natural to take the costume offered by the nameless thug and attack the nearby eatery- he was the Condiment King! He deserved that money, and he'd take it!

After his arrest, and the lawsuits, and the cancellation of his series, he'd had to start again- just like the other comedians the Joker's little game had destroyed. A few months later, after a particularly stressful set at the Metropolis Komedy Klub, he'd gone home and cobbled together a new version of the Condiment King costume (using mostly pantyhose and an old scuba suit) launching an attack on the club that night, armed with water guns full of tobacco sauce. Again, what was remarkable was how natural and normal this behavior seemed at the time- he'd been heckled and jeered by the audience so OF COURSE he was going to wreck the club. It just made sense!

When Superman eventually delivered him (somewhat bruised but still basically intact) to a nearby psychologist, they'd found that the problem went deeper than mere stress. Whether due to an imperfection in its construction, or an intentional bit of sadism by the Joker, Buddy's control chip had imprinted its commands permanently into his psyche. As a result, whenever he felt a great deal of stress, his mind would return to the program and he would once again menace the public (and humiliate himself) as the Condiment King. He'd tried many different therapies and medications, but none seemed able to permanently cure his unique condition. His failed assault on the Klaus Brothers Pickle works was merely one of several embarrassing relapses which had destroyed his career.

Six months ago, he'd agreed to try a combination of anti-stress medication, regular massotherapy, and meditation. It seemed to be working perfectly- he'd never felt so relaxed in his life, and there seemed to be no danger of a relapse. He stressed this fact when he was explaining himself at Police Headquarters that he'd had no reason whatsoever to believe that anything was wrong. Then, he'd begun having mysterious financial problems. Clubs cancelled bookings they'd made months before, with no explanation given beyond 'something came up'. His stocks (bought on the advice of his agent) plummeted. Added to this, his girlfriend of four years mysteriously broke up with him, saying only that there was someone else. He felt like his life had hit rock bottom, and had no idea why any of it was happening.

Then one day a package appeared on his doorstep. Inside was a new version of his costume, and a sauce cannon better than anything he'd ever had before. Also in the package were a collection of dossiers on the five Titans- just some basic information, but enough for the Condiment King to make his plans and enough to inspire him to return to Jump City to once again challenge the young heroes.

That turned out pretty much as anyone (sane) would have expected.

Once he'd arrived at police headquarters, still raving about serving the sauce of vengeance, a request for information had been sent to Gotham City and a curative treatment (sadly only temporary) was administered. When he was himself again, Buddy apologized profusely for his actions, and had willingly told the police and Titans everything that had happened to him. At the end, he got down on his knees and begged the young heroes to forgive him, promising full cooperation with the police. He'd learned a few things about Jump City's criminal underworld that could prove useful to several investigations.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be little he could tell the Titans that would be of use to them. No, he had no idea who had sent him the package. No, he hadn't kept it or at least he didn't think he had- his memories after opening the box and embracing the role of Condiment King once more were sort of blurry. No, he had no idea who had so thoroughly destroyed his life, or indeed if anyone had been directly responsible for that. No, he didn't know anything about Beastboy or his disappearance.

In the end, despite their victory over the unwilling villain, the Titans had gained very little. As they made their way home, the mood in the T-Car was decidedly gloomy. Starfire, predictably, was the first to break the silence.

"Robin?" She asked "What will become of the King of Condiments?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I don't know Star" Robin replied, breaking away from his own thoughts to answer her question. "I guess he'll go to trial for what he did, same as anyone else."

"Oh." Starfire said, an unmistakeable note of sorrow in her voice. "This does not seem right. He was not completely in control of himself, was he? He cannot truly be said to have CHOSEN to do the things he did? I do not believe he should be treated the same as any ordinary criminal"

Despite himself, Robin smiled. Starfire's compassion really was limitless. "I doubt he will. He'll go to trial just like any other criminal, but any half decent judge will decide he wasn't responsible for his actions. He'll be sent for treatment at the Southern California Center for the Criminally Insane. He'll get the best help they can give him, I'll see to it personally."

Starfire smiled happily and slumped down a bit in her seat so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "That is good. What shall we do for the rest of this evening?"

Robin's good humor vanished and a frown crossed his face, causing the alien princess to wish she had never broached the subject. "We've got a VERY long day ahead of us, so I suggest we all get some rest. I won't say go right to bed, since we'll all need to unwind after the battle but I want you all to make it an early night."

"Don't worry, Rob" Cyborg called back from the driver's seat. "We got just the thing to help us wind down, don't we Raven?"

Raven, who had been sipping from a carton of milk (given to her by a police officer to cool her tongue), nodded. She swallowed and said "As we told you earlier today, Cyborg and myself found a photo album in Beastboy's room. Since he's told me about this album before, I doubt he'd have any objections to us flipping through it. I feel it would be a perfect antidote to tonight's painful and humiliating events."

Robin smiled again. "Sounds good to me".

* * *

><p>Otto von Furth lounged in his beach chair and took a long swig from his drink. He knew, of course, that he was dreaming- that neither the beach nor the drink were truly real. Yet so sophisticated was his 'dream machine' prison that he could feel the grains of sand gritting beneath his feet, taste the strawberry-lime mixture (tinged with generous flavour of tequila), and smell the salty tang of the sea. Maybe it wasn't the real thing, but it was good enough for him.<p>

A tall woman with beautiful dark skin sat down beside him and favored him with a dazzling smile. Otto returned and inwardly blessed his subconscious- this dream looked to be shaping up VERY nicely indeed.

"Hello there" he said in his suavest voice. He had a strong feeling he knew how this scenario was going to play out, but one had to go through the process. "My name's Otto. Do you come here often?"

The woman gave him another smile. "I'm Angie" she replied in a soft, husky voice. "I only come here when I'm looking to meet someone special. Someone handsome, someone kind, someone who hates the Jump City Municipal Archives…"

Otto started. "Um, I'm sorry. What was that last thing?"

"The Jump City Municipal archives" Angie said, her voice still low and sensual. "It's just such an awful place isn't it? The building is so ugly, and all they have is dusty old records. It'd be better if someone just, just wiped it off the face of the earth don't you think?"

"Uh…huh" Otto said, slowly rising from his chair and backing away. This was NOT how this was supposed to go. "I'm just gonna… yeah…"

He turned and walked off down the beach. Behind him, the chairs and the woman faded into nothingness as his mind prepared another dreamscape for him. Suddenly he was in front of a high-class hotel, with the doorman holding the door wide for him. Inside, a crowd of beautiful and elegantly dressed people applauded as he came in.

Otto looked down and was pleased to see that his beachwear was gone, replaced by a beautifully tailored tuxedo. It made him look slim and dynamic, and was perfectly set off by the red rose he was holding in his hand. He smiled; this was more like it!

A bald man with thick glasses holding a slim microphone approached him, turning as he did so to address the crowd.

"And here he is at last, ladies and gentlemen!" the bald man enthused, grinning widely as he gestured towards Otto. "The man of the hour! The star of tonight's charity ball! The man we've all come here to see… Otto von Furth!"

The applause returned, louder than before. Otto gave a deep bow and felt warmth all through his body. Before his accident he'd been nobody special; the middle child of a large family, middle of the road grades in school, followed by a menial position at a chemical plant. Maybe this was all the creation of his subconscious mind, but it still felt good to be recognized by the beautiful people.

"Say, I've forgotten" he muttered from the side of his mouth. "What charity is this for again?"

The bald MC laughed. "I guess after a while they must run together, eh mister von Furth? Well, no matter- tonight's ball is to raise money to Destroy the Jump City Municipal Archives."

Otto's head snapped to the side to stare at the MC. After a moment, he found his voice. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

The bald man blinked owlishly. "It's to raise money to Cure Cancer, sir."

"Oh, I… I guess I misheard" Otto said, a little confused. Nodding to the MC he wandered into the crowd to resume his dream.

A/N  
>I'm very sorry about the lateness of the update. See I kinda got ahead of myself writing this- I started on the Condiment King's backstoryexposition, and it really flowed well (at least when I was writing it). It went so well, that I was actually about to post when I realized: 'Huh. You know, it might be a good idea to write HOW he was actually beaten'. Now, this was much harder because, as I've said before (and you can say it with me!) fight scenes aren't my forte. Particularly not fights like this, which are mostly ranged. So, I did my best but it took a LOT longer than I expected.

I also apologize for the subpar puns in this chapter, but really there're only so many jokes you can make using condiments and sauces. Some of these were a bit of a stretch I know, but there we are.

Next chapter: a stroll down memory lane and the beginning of the search.


	6. Chapter 6

The Titans gathered around the couch in the Common Room while Raven went to fetch the photo album. Despite himself, and despite his own worries, Robin felt a touch of eagerness at the thought of going through the photos. It had been a very long day, and tomorrow looked to be worse if anything- a touch of light hearted nostalgia would be a welcome change. He settled himself along one edge of the couch, his arm draped lightly around Starfire's shoulder. The alien girl took this as her signal to snuggle in close to her boyfriend, as Raven re-entered the room.

"Here's the album" Raven droned. The feelings Beastboy had invested in the album were strong enough to play hell with her own emotions, but she was doing her best to keep them under control. "I've taken out some of the photos- those that Beastboy might find too personal to share even with the team."

Raven seated herself in the center of the couch and allowed her team mates to crowd around her, each trying to get the best possible angle to view the photographs. Once everyone had arranged themselves, Raven opened the album. She flipped past the first few pages- these had contained photos of Mark and Marie Logan, and Garfield had always been hesitant to share his memories of his parents, even with her. Likewise, she had removed the photos from Beastboy's time with the Doom Patrol. Although the pain of leaving them had faded, and although Garfield now looked back on those days with pride, she still wasn't sure he was ready to share those memories with the team.

The first photo they looked at, then, was one of the Titan's early group photos. It had been taken by a photo hound from the Jump City Journal, just after the new team had defeated a mutated jellyfish at the docks. The fight was probably harder than it should have been, simply because the young heroes were still unused to working as a team. The Titans smiled at the sight of themselves so many years ago- except for Cassie who simply started laughing. After a moment, the quiet girl explained.

"You all look so awkward" she said, tapping the photograph. "Starfire turning away from the team, but looking at them over her shoulder- wanted to get close, but didn't know how. Raven off in one corner by herself, too scared to approach the others. Robin posing in center, trying to look like opposite of Batman- his posture open, welcoming, obviously fake. Cyborg forcing himself to look confident. Chest out and hands on hips, but feet show how nervous he is. Beastboy trying to look like he's happy, but his muscles are tense, especially leg muscles. Obviously he's ready to run if things go bad. Just so different from how you are now. I had to laugh."

There was a long moment of silence while the other Titans processed this. Starfire spoke first. "You were able to see all of this… just in how we stood for one photograph?"

"Of course. Part of my father's training. Analyze group dynamic using only body language. Batman helped me practice it more. Even more fun to do with a movie. Extras and background actors can be more interesting than main plot."

"Oh! You must show me this skill when next we have the night of movies! It should be most fun!" Starfire exclaimed. "But for now let us continue to view our absent friend's photographs."

The next few pages were largely unremarkable. Headlines praising the Titan's heroics were mixed with candid shots of daily life in the Tower. The young heroes chuckled at shots of themselves from so long ago- and wondered at how they had once been so awkward around one another. The earliest photos rarely depicted the team together, as each member had spent a long time alone. Beastboy, however, had been the exception- he'd spent most of his life as part of a team, and hadn't dealt with solitude well. As a result he'd dragged the others into activities with him.

The photos showed him hanging out with Starfire and introducing her to ice cream, going to the arcade with Cyborg, and training with Robin. One photo showed Cyborg and Beastboy standing in front of two grills- one bearing various meats, the other a variety of soy products. Both boys wore aprons, chef's hats, and large grins. Another showed Robin in the training ring, squaring off against a green kangaroo wearing boxing gloves while the Boy Wonder tried desperately to keep a straight face. Even Raven featured in a few photographs, usually taken without her knowledge- the green boy had obviously been curious about his silent team mate. Soon, group photos began to appear- the Titans at the park, or at the beach.

"You know, it's funny to think that, in a way, the real reason we're so successful was Beastboy." Robin remarked as the group examined one photo of a trip to the park. "If he hadn't been so persistent in dragging us together, I doubt we'd have come to be as close as we are."

"He's something special all right" Cyborg replied "I mean, I remember how he got me to open up to him. He just wouldn't leave me alone- no matter how much I pushed him away, he kept coming back. After a while, I just started goin' along with it just to shut him up- pretty soon I found I actually liked the little grass stain. I think he pulled the same trick on all of us, actually."

"Truly?" Starfire asked "I had believed myself to be the only one. When first I came to Earth, I wanted little to do with any of you. Apart from Robin, you all seemed so very weak and Earth culture seemed so very alien. Yet Beastboy pestered me constantly to come with him on outings to the city, until I gave in."

"It's…It's a strategy that seems to work well for him." Raven agreed, a small blush appearing on her face.

The next page made the Titans fall silent, for no reason that Cassie could see. She peered at the photos on the page, wondering if they might explain the awkward silence.

All of them were images of the same blonde and blue-eyed girl. In one photo she was sitting on a park bench eating an ice cream cone, in another she was lying on the beach in a modest swimsuit. A third showed her and Beastboy standing together, blushes on both their cheeks as they held hands. The facing page was filled with photos of the blonde girl at the zoo- in one she posed with a baby elephant, then a small antelope, then a bright green lion. The last photo showed the blonde girl sitting atop the green lion, caught in the middle of laughing.

Cassie didn't see anything wrong with the pictures, certainly nothing bad enough to explain the discomfort and pain the Titans obviously felt. She thought furiously, wracking her memories for anything that might explain their reaction. After a moment it came to her- something Robin had mentioned once when she'd first arrived, and never brought up again. Reaching out one finger, she tapped the photo with the antelope.

"This is Terra, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yes. That is the betrayer who hurt Beastboy- and all of us- by casting aside our friendship and fighting for Slade." Starfire said sharply, her eyes revealing the depth of her anger. Seeing Cassie's surprise at the depth of her feeling, Starfire tried to explain herself. "Among my people there is no fouler crime than the betrayal of one's companions, one's friends. If Terra had simply been our enemy from the beginning, I would despise her less. Worst of all, she committed her betrayal for no reason- we offered her everything, and she threw it aside for Slade."

Cassie nodded. "I understand. I would hate her too. So many pictures of her. Beastboy must have liked her a lot."

"He did- I think she was the first girl he liked romantically. For a time, she made him very happy." Raven replied. "As for her betrayal, Terra almost always radiated fear, from the first time we met her. Slade must have found a way to use her, to mould that fear so that it served his purpose. I know how good he can be at manipulation."

"I do not care." Starfire declared "Betrayal is betrayal, regardless of why it occurs."

"Let's save that discussion for another time, huh?" Robin interjected, flipping the page to another set of images.

More pages of team photos followed, showing life in the Tower after Terra. One that stood out was a large photo of Raven's sixteenth birthday party- the real party, held AFTER they'd defeated Trigon. Raven sat at the head of a table filled with various sweets and cakes, wearing her white robe and an incongruous-seeming pink party hat which bore the words "B-Day Girl!" Her face was an odd mixture of embarrassment, anger, pride and happiness and was the most expression anyone could remember her showing. Already, one of the cakes in the photo was beginning to glow black- a few moments after the picture had been taken the entire table had exploded, covering the room in icing, cream and pastry.

On the page facing that were photos of the Titan's trip to Japan. The first was from a Japanese newspaper and showed the climax of the team's battle with Brushogun. Another showed Beastboy and Cyborg at the arcade, following their victory- the pair stood at the center of a cheering crowd as they showed off their moves on a dance machine. Another was a photo of Starfire and Robin at a claw machine- Starfire stood behind Robin, cheering as the Boy Wonder picked up a small stuffed monkey. Finally there was a large group photo the Titans had taken, with each hero dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. Robin and Cyborg wore the top knots, swords and kimonos of samurai. Beastboy had adopted the costume of a Buddhist monk- bereft of religious symbols to avoid offence. Raven wore the robes of a Shinto shrine maiden, while Starfire was dressed in the style of a noble lady.

"Say, Cassie" Cyborg asked, turning to look at the quiet girl with a smile on his face. "What would you have dressed up as? For that picture I mean?"|

"Ninja." Cassie replied without hesitation.

"Well, yeah, you could do that. But, you ARE a ninja- or close enough." Cyborg protested. "Wouldn't you wanna try somethin' different? Somethin' a world away from your usual style?"

Cassie appeared to give this some thought before she answered. "Ninja in pink?" She said with a smile.

Cyborg threw his head back and laughed before gently slapping Cassie on the back. "You made an actual joke- and a funny one! You're really improving girl!"

Cassie just smiled wider, proud of her accomplishment.

More pictures followed, documenting the Titans return from Japan and Beastboy's brief time as leader of the Titans South. Oddly, the green boy hadn't kept many photos of that period- clearly he hadn't thought of it as being anything but a routine assignment. Another brief section showed photos of his dates with Cassie and Raven- here was Cassie riding a carousel at the carnival, there a shot of Raven sitting on the beach. There were few photos of this time, since it had occurred in the middle of the Joker's rampage through Jump City and most dates had actually been modified patrols of the city.

Afterward came several pages of photos of Raven. Raven at the park, seated under a tree and waving shyly at the camera. Raven and Beastboy behind a beach cut-out of Superman and Wonder Woman, respectively- the shape shifter grinning hugely while the empathy managed an embarrassed smile. Raven dressed in her elegant gown outside the Galaxy Room. The Titans reactions to these varied along gender lines: Cassie and Starfire cooed and 'aww'ed over the shots, while Cyborg and Robin suppressed snickers at the sweetness of it all.

There was even a strip of photo booth shots: In the first, Beastboy had his tongue out and his eyes rolled back while Raven stared at the camera impassively. In the second, Beastboy had his fingers in his ears and his lips puckered, while Raven stared impassively at the camera. In the third, Beastboy was crouched behind Raven with his fingers hooked in the corners of her mouth, pulling her face into an unnatural smile while Raven stared impassively at the camera.

Cyborg let out a low whistle. "Man" he said "I knew the little grass stain liked living dangerously, but I never thought he was liked THAT much danger. You musta REALLY let 'im have it for that one. Glad he didn't keep the photo of that."

"Oh, you have no idea." Raven said with a sinister grin. In truth, the fourth photo of the strip was hidden in her room. It showed the empathy pushing the shape shifter up against the wall of the photo booth while delivering a passionate kiss- shortly before the booth exploded.

Turning the page, they came across something unlike anything they'd seen so far. The entire page was taken up by a collage. Beastboy had taken the photographs sent to him by his fan girls in Japan and created a mosaic of smiling faces, all surrounding a large photo of Beastboy's smiling face.

"Good God." Robin breathed "It's like I can reach out and touch his ego."

"Friend Raven, Does this not bother you?" Starfire asked. She knew it made her very upset when Robin kept something sent to him by a female fan.

Raven simply shook her head. "Beastboy explained it to me. He doesn't get much appreciation here in Jump City- not the way Robin and Cyborg do. Girls here just see him as a little kid, and for a long time that really bothered him. Our trip to Japan was a big moment for him, the first time he realized that girls other than Terra found him to be attractive and heroic. Soon after we got back he got letters and photos from hundreds of Japanese girls- he keeps this as a reminder. Besides, look at the next page."

Robin dutifully turned the page and flinched back in surprise. The entire page was taken up by a photo of Beastboy and Raven. Beastboy sat in the center of the picture, a sheepish look on his face. Raven stood behind him, hugging him from behind, while propping her head on one of his shoulders. But it was her face that really drew the eye- four blood red eyes glared at the camera, while her smile showed sharp teeth. In the corner of the picture was a line of neatly-written Japanese.

"What's this stuff in the corner, Raven?" Cyborg said after a moment.

"Back off, he's mine." Robin said as his eyes narrowed. "Raven, am I right in assuming this isn't the only copy of this shot you made?"

Raven nodded, a tad embarrassed. "I sent copies of it to every fan girl who sent him a photo. I don't mind him keeping their pictures, just so long as everyone knows where we stand. I did it just before Beastboy went into therapy. He said it made him feel better knowing I was 'staking a claim', as he put it."

Robin let out a sigh. "Raven, I'm disappointed in you; I thought you'd be more mature than this. I'm amazed this is the first I've heard of this incident- why wasn't there a ton of hatemail and angry calls from, well, everyone?"

Raven just shrugged. "Maybe because I accompanied the photo with a letter explaining that the Titans were moving and directing all replies to the Justice Society of America. It was Beastboy's idea to do that- he said the 'old timers' could use some excitement."

Robin sighed while the others laughed.

The rest of the album was relatively dull- shots of the Tower and the heroes who lived there. They all recognized the last shot, taken the night before Beastboy left for his treatment. In it, the Titans were seated on the couch in the Common room. Each one held a slice of pizza in one hand and a glass of soda in the other. The glasses were raised in a toast to their green friend, who sat in the center of the couch with a look of pure happiness on his face.

"That's a good note to end our trip down memory lane, wouldn't you say?" Cyborg said as he rose from the couch.

"Yes, I feel that this was a most happy journey down the road of memory. I feel as though Beastboy were here with us." Starfire said as she stretched out her back.

"Yeah, well, with any luck he will be soon." Robin added as he closed the album. "Everyone go to bed and sleep well- tomorrow's going to be a long, long day."

Meanwhile, in cyberspace, a conversation occurred over a heavily secured connection.

_User1: Progress report._

_User2: The procedure went as planned and the subject is expected to make a full recovery._

_User1: The machinery functioned as promised?_

_User2: It recorded the surgical procedure with one hundred percent efficacy and I feel confident that it will be able to replicate it flawlessly. However, the next procedure will be more complicated- it may be best to keep the surgeon to perform it himself._

_User1: Agreed. Once he has completed that task, eliminate him. The machine can handle future procedures. What of the rest of the plan?_

_User2: I cannot proceed until the subject is ready and trained and I will not rush that. You made it clear that no further errors would be accepted._

_User1: See that you remember that. Contact me when you have something new to report._

_User1 has logged out_

_User2 has logged out._

A/N

A late chapter. A short chapter. An apology.

The lateness is mostly my fault. It's basically a combination of a lot of factors- culture shock, illness, employment woes and writers block. I'll try to do better in future, but I can make no promises.

The shortness was a necessity. This chapter served as a way to lighten things a bit more before the next stretch which will likely be quite gloomy. It also let me use some ideas I had which I hadn't previously been able to find a place for. For example the idea that Beastboy was the one to bring the Titans closer together- it struck me as logical, given that the others seemed to be loners and misanthropes at the start (as seen in Go!) with the exception of the green dude, but there was never really a good time to bring it up.


	7. Chapter 7

The day dawned grey and misty, with a thick cloud cover obscuring the usual Californian sun- a situation which left Starfire feeling decidedly less than glorious when she left her room. The Tameranian princess depended on solar energy as much as on caloric intake to fuel her metabolism. She typically spent at least half an hour floating outside her window, absorbing the morning sunlight, before beginning her day. Gloomy days such as this left her feeling drained and empty, as though she had missed a meal- a feeling that would persist until she could recharge in the sunlight once more.

For this reason, the alien girl was feeling unusually down, as Terrans would say, even before she left her room. Once she arrived in the common room and greeted her team mates, the feeling only became worse. Raven seemed even paler than normal, and had dark circles under her eyes while Cyborg seemed unable to concentrate, gazing off into space as he chewed his breakfast.

"I gather you are both feeling less than joyous this morning?" Starfire remarked as she headed to the kitchen to make herself a meal. She chose some simple fruit to break her fast, as well as a few cookies in the hope that the sugar would ease the feelings caused by lack of morning sunlight.

Cyborg visibly started, shocked out of his reverie by her voice. He gave an obviously false smile and shook his head. "Nah, just feelin' a little on edge, y'know?"

Starfire turned to examine him lowering her head to get a look at his chair. "You appear to be seated quite securely. For what reason do you feel the edge?"

"Um…figure of speech, Star." Cyborg replied. "It means I'm feeling nervous. It's been months since Beastboy left the hospital, taken by someone who wanted us to think he was the Scarecrow. Assuming he left any clues behind, they'll be cold- I mean, they'll be out of date and probably useless by now. Not really a lot to be joyous about."

"I didn't want to say anything, but I fail to see why we're even doing this." Raven added, sipping from a mug of strong black tea. "The chances of success are so low that it strikes me as a waste of time. Time we could spend searching the city for Beastboy."

Starfire tilted her head, as she often did when she failed to understand something. "I do not see how that would work. We attempted to search the city when first our friend was taken last year without success- and in that case, we knew who had taken him. Why would searching again prove anymore successful now, when we know nothing at all?"

Raven shook her head. "I know it wouldn't. But it would feel like we were doing something other than grasping at straws- which is another expression, meaning that we were trying something unlikely only because we had no other choices."

"Ah. I see." Starfire said, nodding as she did her best to remember the phrase. "But is this not precisely our situation in the shell of a nut?"

Raven sighed, and her shoulders slumped. The mug in her hands glowed black as the bottom dissolved, spilling hot tea across the table. "That's why I didn't want to say anything…" she mumbled, getting up to find a towel.

At that moment, Robin strode into the kitchen with an empty coffee mug. Starfire smiled a little- she was sure he had been up all night preparing for the days activities, yet he looked just as handsome and composed as ever. He gave her a brief kiss on the cheek as he passed by on his way to the coffee maker.

"I couldn't help overhearing" he said, turning to face the group as his newly-filled mug steamed gently. Taking a sip, he grimaced and reached for the sugar, mixing some into his drink before he went on. "You're both right- we ARE grasping at straws, but only because we have no other choice. It's simply been too long for standard investigative procedures to be useful- any fingerprints will be long gone, witnesses will have forgotten things, and chemical traces will have faded or been washed away. So we're going to go to the hospital and we're going to talk to everyone- EVERYONE- who was there the day Beastboy left. When we're finished with that, we're going to go to the airport and do the same thing there- we know this Strohmann at least entered the building, so maybe someone will remember something. Someone, somewhere, must know something that will lead us to Beastboy- all we have to do is find them and ask the right questions."

Starfire nodded. "This is correct- if we persist, and we are diligent, we are sure to recover our lost friend."

Raven sighed again as she cleaned the tea off the table. "I hope you're right. So. What will I be doing while the rest of you investigate the hospital? I doubt you want me to go too near the place, given how the mentally unstable affect my powers."

Starfire frowned. "How then were you able to visit Beastboy all those many times?"

"We found a spot on the hospital grounds which was far away enough from the main building that the people inside couldn't affect me, and isolated enough that no one was likely to wander by." Raven said matter-of-factly as she wiped the table clean.

"Oh? And did it also offer you the privacy that couples so often desire?" Starfire cooed "Was there much kissing and making out?"

Raven's cheeks reddened. "Change of subject, please."

Cyborg guffawed loudly, while Robin smiled into his coffee mug. Meanwhile, Starfire pressed on, enjoying the rare opportunity to indulge in (what she thought was) good natured teasing of her best friend. She'd noticed that many Terrans used such teasing as a way to grow closer and express friendship- sometimes it seemed that Beastboy and Cyborg's entire relationship consisted of such joking. It seemed natural, then, that she do the same with Raven.

"Oh but you must share with us!" she said, barely hiding her glee. "Are we not all friends? There should not be secrets among friends! Tell us all about your romantic exploits in the shadow of the hospital!"

Raven, unaware of her friend's intent, fumed at the embarrassment. "Change of subject. NOW." As if to emphasize her ire, the lights above her head burst with a loud pop.

Robin cleared his throat hastily, hoping to avert catastrophe. "Let's try to stay focused. Raven, you and Batgirl will be running a patrol of the city while we're gone. As important as finding Beastboy is, we can't leave Jump undefended. Batgirl is designing the patrol route now in her room and I'd suggest you go up to join her as soon as you've finished in here."

Here the Boy Wonder paused, unsure of how to phrase the next part, before deciding to just say what was on his mind. "I know you miss Gar, and I know that you're eager to get him back. So I want to emphasize that this patrol is NOT a search mission- you are NOT to go looking for Beastboy on your own. If the criminals of Jump figure we aren't paying attention, they'll go crazy which will only make finding Beastboy even more difficult. So stay focused. Okay?"

Raven nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best."

"All right then." Robin took one last swig of his coffee before putting the mug into the sink. "Star, Cyborg, finish your breakfast and get ready to leave in ten minutes."

* * *

><p>Batgirl and Raven began their patrol at precisely six thirty, just as scheduled. Raven got them started by teleporting to Jump City's financial district, which put them at the heart of the city itself. From there, they moved through the city in a slow spiral- with the aim of reaching the outskirts of the city by two in the afternoon, at which point they would return to the Tower to rest before beginning the evening patrol.<p>

Raven was surprised (and grateful) to discover that she didn't have the time to brood on what the others might or might not find at the sanatorium. While the Titans North had been diligent in their work, it was a simple fact that a city the size of Jump would produce a certain number of emergencies and crimes each day. In the course of the morning patrol Raven caught two purse snatchers, stopped three muggings, foiled a smash-and-grab thief, captured four armed robbers (all from the same robbery), rescued a kitten from a tree, helped the fire department evacuate a burning building and returned a lost little girl to her mother.

Even when she wasn't actively fighting crime, the empath found she had plenty to occupy her mind. Everywhere she went, people would call out and cheer for her- clearly, the citizens of Jump City were thrilled to have their own heroes back in town. Whenever she stopped flying, even for a moment, she found herself swamped by reporters, fans, and well-wishers. Children hounded her for an autograph, reporters wanted interviews, and café owners pushed snacks and drinks on her. It was nice to know that, despite their long absence, the city hadn't forgotten the Titans.

Midway through the patrol, she noticed that she always seemed to be alone when it came time to greet the public. The next time she found herself surrounded by grateful citizens, Raven made a point of surreptitiously looking for her partner. She found Batgirl crouched on a ledge, hidden in shadow. After making the appropriate remarks and thanking the citizens for their goodwill, Raven floated up to meet her.

"Why do you always hide in the shadows when the public wants to meet us?" Raven asked, a little bluntly.

"I'm a vigilante. I work in the shadows." Batgirl replied, reaching to her utility belt to remove her grappling gun. "Batman's policy says I need to avoid publicity. Ruins the effect, makes criminals less afraid."

"Not true." Raven replied. "You're a Titan now. WE work openly, and we deal with the public on a regular basis. We participate in charities, rallies, and all kinds of public events. You need to get used to that- trust me, Robin doesn't take 'no' for an answer on that."

Batgirl froze, her hand resting on the grip of her grappling gun. "Am I a Titan? I thought it was only temporary. Until we get Beastboy back."

Raven gave her partner a rare smile. " Maybe that was true at the start, but I doubt it's true anymore. You've proven to be a real asset to our team, and Robin's noticed that. I think that, when we do find Beastboy, he'll offer you permanent membership."

Batgirl sat down suddenly on the ledge, shock taking the strength from her legs. "I never even thought of that. Strange. I don't know what to do. Don't want to leave Gotham forever. Don't want to leave the Titans."

Raven awkwardly patted her on the shoulder and privately wished that Starfire were there- the alien girl was much better at these sorts of things than she was. "You don't have to decide right now- take your time, weigh all your choices and remember that whatever you choose to do the Titans will support your decision."

Batgirl took a deep breath and nodded. Rising to her feet, the quiet girl reached for her grappling gun. Firing a line to the next building she turned to her friend. "Come on. Need to finish the patrol."

The two finished the patrol at one o'clock, a little behind schedule thanks to a pair of would-be carjackers who needed to be convinced to change careers. When the police dragged the two away, the girls headed back to the Tower. While Raven filled out the patrol report, Batgirl prepared lunch- some tomato soup and roast beef sandwiches.

When they sat down to eat Raven voiced the question that had been bothering her all morning. "There was more crime on the streets today than normal, wasn't there? I mean, it's rare for us to encounter that much street crime in a week, much less in one patrol."

Batgirl nodded, mopping up the last of her soup with a crust of bread. "You're right." She said simply.

"I wonder why that was." Raven said, biting into her own sandwich but barely tasting it. This question had preyed on her mind, actually taking her attention away from where Beastboy might be. "Robin said that the Titans North had been performing regular patrols, so how is it that crime is UP now?"

Cassie shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe criminals saw them leaving. Figured we'd be busy settling in for a few days. We haven't shown ourselves much since arriving."

Raven nodded, thoughtfully. "That seems reasonable enough. We'd better make sure to be more visible than normal on this afternoons patrol- and make a note in our report for Robin to do the same on his and Starfire's patrols tomorrow."

"You do that. I'll clean the dishes." Cassie said, rising from her seat and picking up the plates from the table.

"All right. After that, I'll head up to the roof to meditate." Raven said, getting up from her own chair. "What are your plans for the afternoon?"

"A quick nap. Then practice." Cassie replied. "Don't forget, you have training with me tonight. Won't be easy. We've been skipping it for almost a week."

"I know, I know." Raven sighed. "But it's important to me- for the first time, I feel like I could help the team even if my powers were gone. It's a good feeling."

"Good. Remember it." Cassie said with an evil grin. "It'll help you get through tonight."

* * *

><p>The afternoon patrol wasn't very different from the morning one. There was still an unusually large number of street crimes to break up- muggings, burglars, rapists and more. This time, the Titans began their patrol at the Tower, moving outward in a slow and meticulous manner through the city. Although they gave some attention to the alley ways and side-streets they passed, for the most part they stuck to the main streets and thoroughfares of Jump City. By necessity, this method covered less territory than the mornings spiral pattern, but that was all right- their goal in this patrol was to be seen by the maximum number of citizens, and to show them all that the Teen Titans were on the job. In the long run, doing so would prevent more crimes than the pair could reasonably expect to stop in one patrol.<p>

Raven also made sure that Batgirl spent some time interacting with the public, reasoning that it would be best if the quiet girl started practicing as soon as possible while another Titan was around to lend help. In a way, she reflected, she was probably the best suited for helping Cassie adapt to the spotlight- the other Titans were all deeply extroverted, and wouldn't really understand the problem in dealing with the public. In contrast, Raven had lived a very solitary life before joining the team, and had had to teach herself how to deal with large numbers of people. She would be able to coach Cassie through it much better than the others, until she'd be able to take on the same PR duties the other Titans accepted.

This being the first time, Raven kept it simple. Batgirl stood by Raven's side as the two greeted the citizens, nodding her head when Raven spoke and answering brief questions. Raven made a mental note to encourage her friend to practice answering questions in front of a mirror, both to get accustomed to doing so and to work on her body language- despite her mastery of the subject, when nervous Batgirl had a tendency to shift into a combat stance with her fists clenched and her feet squared. Likewise, her answers displayed her nervousness- even for her, they were terse and her voice was always hard. Still, Raven was determined to help as best she could, and repay Cassie for her self-defence lessons.

As they returned to the Tower at the end of their patrol, they were surprised to see the T-Car driving towards the tunnel that lead under the bay. Signaling their friends to pull over, the two heroines descended to street level, unable to wait to hear what the others had found at the sanitarium.

Climbing into the backseat of the car alongside Starfire and Batgirl, Raven immediately addressed Robin. "So, what did you find?"

Robin gave a long sigh. "Not a lot." He admitted, rubbing his eyes through his mask. "As I suspected, there weren't any clues left after so long. We did get a few small breaks though- we learned from the hospital staff that 'Strohmann' had visited Beastboy a few times that week, probably explaining that he'd be the one to take him home. So the hospital security cameras got a few good images of him, though not many. I'll head over to Police Headquarters during tomorrow's morning patrol to check his face against their archives."

"Plus" Cyborg added "I found out that the traffic stop near the hospital is equipped with a security camera, so we can also get a look at his car. That might help us track him down. We'll also drop by the airport tomorrow and talk to their security staff, see if they saw anything - we helped them often enough, they owe us."

"But enough of our exploits, how was your patrol?" Starfire asked, her voice cheerful if somewhat tired. "I must confess, I have greatly missed our city."

"Patrol was busy. Crime's up." Cassie replied, taking off her mask now that they were in the privacy of the T-Car. "Raven had some ideas on what to do. She put them in the report."

"That's great" Robin said with a weary smile. He always liked it when his teammates showed initiative in crimefighting. "I'll read it as soon as…"

"Fraid your gonna have to cancel your reading plans, Rob." Cyborg interjected, frowning at the computer console built into the T-Car's dashboard. "According to my sensors, all the doors to the Tower are wide open. And I mean all- the front door, the emergency exits, the garage door..."

Immediately Robin forced his fatigue back and leaned forward to examine the console himself. "But I don't see any alarms going off- it's as though whoever did it already knew the codes." He looked up into his metal friend's face. "Is there any chance this was done by an authorized guest? We've given the codes to the other Titans- all three teams. Maybe someone's paying us a visit?"

Cyborg gave his leader a pitying look. "Man, you're WAY too tired. Think for a minute- if this was just a friendly visit, why would they open every door to the Tower? Why would they LEAVE them open? No, someone wants us to know they're in there."

"You're right. Take us to the tunnel entrance- we'll proceed on foot from there." Robin turned to face the others "It's JUST possible that Beastboy escaped his captors, and left the doors open so we'd know he was there. Possible, but not likely. Be ready for anything, but don't initiate violence- we don't know what's going on here and I don't want to fight unless we have to. Once we disembark, we'll search the building floor by floor until we find our guest."

"Perhaps we should split into teams?" Starfire suggested. "Our group is quite large and I do not think it would be practical to move through the hallway as one. It would make movement overly difficult."

"True." Robin conceded as the T-Car pulled into the garage. He paused to think while the other Titans got out of the T-Car and readied themselves for battle. "All right. Starfire and myself will be one team, Cyborg and Batgirl will be another. Raven, I want you to hang back as our reserve- if someone gets into trouble you can teleport to their location and provide help and healing. Everyone keep your com-links open, and report in every few minutes. One last thing- we move through the Tower together. If one team finishes checking their half of the floor, they wait for the other team before we all move on to the next floor. Everyone ready? Titans, go!"

The Titans made slow progress through their home, going floor by floor and checking every room. The Tower had a lot of rooms, mainly storage but some were extra quarters for guests, or evidence lockups, or spare laboratories- all of which had to be searched individually. Robin and Starfire eventually made it to the tenth floor, just beneath the main living space. So far, the Tower had proved to be totally empty- normally a good thing, but something about this situation made Robin worried. Whoever had broken in had gone to a lot of trouble to let the Titans know they were there. All the doors to the Tower had been left open, yet there was no damage whatsoever to the interior. It didn't feel like a trap, more like a… a challenge.

Beside him Starfire gave a small sigh. "Everything all right, Star?" Robin asked, turning to face her.

"I just now realized that this is the closest thing we have had to proper time alone since the ball of charity." Starfire replied. "It is not a cheerful thought."

"Sorry, Star" Robin said a little distractedly. "I know I haven't been the best boyfriend lately. But with everything that's going on…"

"Oh I was not complaining!" Starfire interjected hastily. "I know that this is not the time for romance. It is just that I find myself jealous of all the time that friends Beastboy and Raven shared together."

"Yeah, about that" Robin said, pausing in his search for a moment. He really didn't want to get into this now, but this needed to be said. "What you did to Raven this morning wasn't cool. You know how sensitive she is about relationship issues, and how much she hates being put in the spotlight. Not to mention how dangerous she can be when her emotions are riled up. You really shouldn't have been teasing her this morning."

"I do not understand." Starfire said with a frown, the faintest stirrings of anger in her voice. "Beastboy, Cyborg and yourself do the teasing all the time, often using methods far more insulting than those I chose. You once explained to me that this was acceptable because of your friendship. Are you claiming that my friendship with Raven is less than yours is with the other boys?"

"No, but…" Robin sighed. Much as he usually enjoyed explaining things to his girlfriend, there were some topics that were simply difficult for her to grasp. "It's different for us, Star. Guys often tease and insult there friends- I don't think that's normal for girls. Guy friends will accept it, but girls won't."

"How can friendship be defined by gender?" Starfire asked, her tone now revealing more frustration than anger.

"I don't really know how to answer that, Star. But I do know that Raven was pretty angry this morning. Maybe it was you, maybe it was the whole situation- but apologizing won't hurt you and might help her."

The alien girl sighed, and nodded. "You are correct. I will apologize- and perhaps ask why she felt so angered. Perhaps she will be able to explain it better."

Robin accepted the hit and the two continued on with their search. Eventually they encountered Cyborg and Batgirl, who had finished sweeping their half of the floor. Together, the four heroes returned to the elevator and moved up to the next floor. As the elevator door opned on the darkened Common Room, Robin turned to face his teammates.

"All right, if the intruders are anywhere in the Tower, they're going to be here. So let's- GACK!" Robin was interrupted by a purple-gloved hand which reached out of the gloom and yanked him backwards.

Instantly the other Titans moved to follow, but found their way blocked by shadowy figures.

Robin, meanwhile, was slammed into a wall. An arm pressed forward onto his neck, exerting just enough pressure to restrict his breathing without cutting it off entirely. As he struggled vainly to break free, Robin caught the eyes of the one who'd ambushed him.

"Where the hell is my SON, Robin?" Mento growled.

A/N

I thought about ending the chapter without revealing who it was that had bushwacked the Boy Wonder, but I figured this was cliffhanger enough for now.

I found a cutaway of the Tower online, and considered using that as a reference for my description. I eventually decided against it because it made no sense- according to the diagram, each floor of the Tower is devoted to one purpose only. That works fine for the training room and the gym but not for all the things listed in the diagram. Given the size of the Tower as shown in the show and the comics, however, that would mean that the infirmary (for example) would be the size of an entire hospital ward. So I decided to wing it, and I hope no one objects too much.


	8. Chapter 8

"Where the hell is my SON, Robin?"

As soon as Raven heard those words over the communicator, she readied herself for action. She didn't really think that Mento and the Doom Patrol would kill the others or even seriously hurt them- but nevertheless, she felt it better to prevent any sort of violence between the two teams. _And besides,_ she thought to herself as she readied herself for teleportation _There're a few things I want to talk to those people about. Like how they treated Gar when he was part of their team, or how they never let him be a kid before that._

Picturing the Common Room in her mind, she released her powers and chanted her mantra. In a burst of what could only be described as black light she vanished from the garage and reappeared in the middle of the Common Room. Starfire, Cyborg and Batgirl stood in the elevator, blocked from leaving by the figures of Robotman and Negative Man. A few feet away, Robin stood pinned against the wall with Mento's arm across his throat. Raven readied herself to intervene, but before she could she felt a hand close about her shoulder.

Months of Aikido training sprang into play. Raven grabbed the hand and pivoted her hip in an attempt to flip her would-be captor. Unfortunately, while this would have worked splendidly against an ordinary opponent and was a testament to how well she'd been trained by Batgirl, Raven faced a woman who was anything but ordinary. Elastigirl's own training allowed her to roll with the flip and land on her feet. The older heroine then grew to twelve feet in height and grasped Raven's head in both hands, lifting the empath off the ground.

"Don't make any sudden moves, Sweetie" the giantess whispered. "I'd hate to have something happen to that pretty neck of yours"

Robin meanwhile was frantically searching for a way to explain the situation without enraging the man who currently had a hold on his windpipe. He was honestly frightened now- Mento and the Doom Patrol where famous for taking a more extreme approach to fighting evil. There was no proof that they'd KILLED anyone, but they'd certainly come close more times than most heroes did. Furthermore, he knew that Mento was regarded as the most dangerous member of the team- well trained, and almost fanatical in his views on good and evil. Add in his ability to automatically tell when someone was lying to him and Robin couldn't see any easy ways out of this.

"Mento, let me explain! I can- Grrrkk!"

"Ah, ah, ah." Mento chided as he once again lessened the pressure on the Boy Wonder's throat. "No evasions or hasty explanations, please, Robin. Just answer my question: Where. Is. Garfield?"

"Hrnk, w-we… we don't…know..." Robin hissed. Suddenly the pressure on his throat increased, as Mento leaned forward, his eyes blazing.

"You don't KNOW?! Did you lose him in the wash?! Or did you just forget where you left him?! What the hell kind of leader are you supposed to BE boy?!" Mento paused as he felt someone shaking his shoulder.

"Steve, you need to calm down" Negative Man said, his voice calm and firm. "You aren't interrogating a suspect here- terrifying the boy won't help us any. Remember what we're here for, and remember what you told me to do if you lost control. I don't want to have to do that, but I will if I need to."

Mento took a deep breath and forcibly calmed himself. Turning back to Robin, he spoke again and this time his voice was measured and controlled. "Robin, I am going to release you now. This is however, only temporary- if you try to evade my questions, to omit facts, or to deceive me in any way I won't hesitate to go back to that forceful method of questioning. Is that understood? Nod your head if so."

Robin forced his head to bob up and down once. Immediately, Mento withdrew his arm, and Robin collapsed to the floor. He took a few moments to rub his abused throat and to fill his lungs with air. Behind him, Elastigirl set Raven back down on the floor while Robotman stepped aside to allow the other Titans into the room. Raven turned to look at her former captor, but forced herself to reveal none of her anger- leaving aside the issues of emotions in general for her, she was aware that they had other things to focus on right now.

For her part, Elastigirl looked down at the (still) shorter heroine and adopted a mildly apologetic look. "Sorry about the rough handling, Raven" she said, her voice low and distracted as she waited for Robin to speak. "I'm a little out of my mind worrying about Garfield and I'm really not myself right now. Once we finish here, I want to have a little talk with you- I want to get to know the girl Garfield's been gushing about in his letters."

Raven nodded. She still wasn't happy about the way she'd been treated by Elastigirl, but she could certainly understand what the other woman felt. Also, the words she'd used cheered Raven a bit. '_So he's been … gushing… about me? Good to know_.' She thought with an inward smile.

Once he was sure that his throat and larynx were still in one piece, Robin began explaining. He gave a quick summary of the Joker's arrival in Jump City, Beastboy's capture and his eventual rescue. He paused to quickly assess his audience's reaction- Negative Man and Robotman were, naturally, impossible to read, Elastigirl seemed impatient, and Mento merely interested. Deciding that this was as good a reaction as he was going to get, Robin pressed on with his story. He left nothing out, and made no attempt to justify or defend his decisions- even the disastrous attempt at treatment was described plainly and honestly. Robin felt that if Mento and the others got angry with him for it, it was no less than he deserved.

To his surprise Mento seemed to be unperturbed by what he was hearing. Robin continued, a bit unnerved by this. He'd been so sure that his story would be met with outrage, anger and recriminations that he didn't really know what to make of this lack of reaction. He reached the part where they learned of Beastboy's abduction by "Strohmann" when Mento held up a hand to stop him.

"What evidence did you have that this Strohmann was really the Scarecrow?" He asked, his tone level but firm.

"Well, there was his name, and the general description given by the receptionist at the sanitarium." Robin said "The Scarecrow was seen hours later leaving the Gotham City airport with a young man of Beastboy's age who had green hair. It seemed like sufficient evidence at the time."

"Agreed" Mento said with a nod. "I would have done the same in your position. Continue your story."

Robin gave his audience the basics of their search through Gotham, carefully editing himself to avoid giving away Batman's secret identity. The Doom Patrol was a group that operated on the fringes of the superhero world- he doubted his mentor would appreciate being unmasked to them. Finally, he reached the worst part so far- describing the moment they discovered that they had been tricked into a wild goose chase.

Negative Man simply let out a low whistle and shook his head. "That can't have been a pleasant moment, Robin." The older hero said, and behind his bandages Robin could tell his face was sympathetic.

Robin nodded and went on with his story, briefly touching on the measures they'd taken to find their lost friend. His throat was still sore and frankly he had a few questions of his own, ones he wanted answered before he let Mento in on his plans.

Mento simply grunted and made his way to the couch. Sitting, he motioned for his team to join him. As they did so, Robin noticed for the first time just how tired they all looked- Mento was slumped forward in his seat as though he couldn't spare the strength to sit up straight, while Elastigirl had dark rings under her eyes. Robotman's eyes were flickering, as though his power was running low again, while Negative Man simply slumped back against the couch with his face to the ceiling. Eventually, Mento looked up and offered Robin a small smile.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted before Robin. It's been a rough few months for us as well." Mento let out a deep sigh before continuing.

"You see, neither we nor the US government were satisfied to leave the Brain and the rest of the Brotherhood of Evil simply stay in the ice after your final battle. Leaving aside the issue of their legal rights, one heat wave would have us right back where we started. So, a few months after your victory, we cut the ice and transported them to a number of different prisons around the world- with a very special cell in STAR Labs waiting for the Brain."

"STAR Labs? Makes sense." Cyborg said, sitting down on the far end of the couch. "They do good work, usually- and their security is top-notch. So, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that the Brain and some of his closest associates are gone. A few months ago, Madame Rouge was scheduled for a routine physical exam at Blackgate Prison- when she was examined, the doctors discovered that she was a bio-duplicate- a robot, sheathed in flesh cloned from the original and programmed to behave just like her. Further investigation showed that similar duplicates had replaced General Immortus, and Monsieur Mallah- both of whom were incarcerated in separate prisons tens of thousands of miles apart. I personally went to check on the Brain, only to discover that he too had been replaced- and the replicant was designed to dissolve the moment I interrogated it, presumably just to mock me."

"I-That- It…" Robin paused for a moment to organize his thoughts. "Do you mean to tell me that the Brain and his cronies not only arranged for their escapes from some of the most secure facilities on Earth, but they left behind android replicants of themselves so sophisticated that they were only detected months later? And they managed to do all this without anyone even noticing? That's unbelievable!"

"That's the Brain." Mento said with a small, bitter smile. "That monster fought myself and my team for over a decade, as well as virtually every major law enforcement agency on the planet- ALL AT ONCE. We were able to keep him from winning any decisive victories, but we were unable to inflict any major defeats on him. To be honest, Robin- and I say this with all due respect for your team- I don't think you understand how amazingly lucky you were to defeat him at all."

"He was not merely facing us" Starfire said "He faced ALL the Titans, together."

"I know. And even in the face of that, you have to understand that you got lucky." Mento replied earnestly. "If Gar hadn't arrived in time with re-enforcements, or if just a few of your allies hadn't shown up, the Brain and his cronies would have beaten you."

"Wait." Batgirl interjected. "You said the Brain disappeared months ago. How many? Could it have been him that took Gar?"

Elastigirl let out a long sigh. "That's what we're afraid of. There's evidence that the Brain and his crew may have escaped some time in May- which would have given him enough time to arrange Gar's abduction, especially if he began his plot from within STAR Labs. We have evidence that he fled south of the Equator, but given his network of agents and allies, that doesn't mean much."

"Makes sense." Batgirl mused. "I read the file on the Brain. Vengeful. Cunning. Patient. Taking Beastboy would let him hurt the Titans and the Doom Patrol. Two enemies with one attack."

"He's got the means" Cyborg added. "Even after we put him and his group on ice, we were never able to find all his bases, neutralize his bank accounts or identify all his forces. He could have planned the kidnapping, set Crane up to take the fall, and kept BB in some hidden base."

"So what shall we do?" Starfire asked, a little plaintively. "Shall we leave Jump City once more to pursue this fiend?"

In reply, Mento turned to Robin and said "Answer the girl, Robin"

Robin was silent for a moment, while his brain worked furiously. Years of working with Batman had left the Boy Wonder with the ability to sense when he was being tested, and it was quite clear that Mento wanted to hear his answer for reasons of his own. That made things tricky- both as a veteran hero and as Beastboy's adopted father, Mento had good reason to be angry with a 'wrong' answer.

"Can I assume" he said, tentatively "that you're doing everything you can to find and apprehend the Brain before he rebuilds his organization?"

"You can." Mento said with a nod.

"Then…" Robin paused, considering. After a second, he nodded his head. When he spoke, his voice was much more confident than before. "Then our plans don't change at all. We continue with our search exactly as before."

"Why?" Mento snapped out the question before any of the others had a chance to speak- and it was obvious that the other Titans had a lot to say.

"Because we have no real evidence that the Brain is responsible for Beastboy's disappearance. Yes, his escape from prison occurred at the right time for him to be involved but there's every chance in the world that that's just a coincidence. If we leave Jump City to join the hunt for the Brain we'll be making the same mistake we made when we went after the Scarecrow- mistaking correlation for direct evidence." Robin said. At this, the other young heroes nodded.

Now Mento smiled, as though Robin had confirmed something he'd hoped was true. "Excellent reasoning."

"Will you keep us updated on your search? If there's evidence that Beastboy WAS taken by the Brotherhood of Evil, we deserve to have a part in rescuing him" Robin asked. "Plus, and I say this with all due respect, you might need the help."

"Agreed. I'm pleased to see that you've learned from your mistake. I'd also like to examine your findings myself- perhaps we'll find that evidence you mentioned there." Mento replied, rising from the couch. He turned back to his team. "Doom Patrol: take advantage of this time to eat, rest and relax. Be ready to move out in two hours."

"Wait!" Cyborg called out. "I gotta know one thing- what was it that you told Negative Man to do if you got nuts on us? What was it he was so against doing?"

In response, Negative Man reached around to the small of his back and pulled an electric stun gun from his pants. He triggered the device, sending a spark of blue electricity arcing between the prongs. "That answer your question, kid?" he said.

As the impromptu meeting broke up, Raven felt a hand settle on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Elastigirl standing beside her.

"Meet me on the roof in twenty minutes." The older heroine said, to which Raven gave a terse nod.

A few minutes later, Elastigirl arrived on the roof. She carried a tray bearing a teapot, two cups and a small pile of cookies. She found Raven seated on the edge of the roof, looking out over the cityscape. She stepped over to the empath, who gave no sign that she'd noticed her.

"Well, Gar told me you liked herbal tea, so that part was easy" she said in order to break the silence. "He wasn't quite so helpful with regards to cookies, so I just chose a selection and figured you could pick what you liked."

"How dare you." Raven growled, still not looking around.

"How dare I?" Elastigirl said, wrong-footed by both the question and the sudden hostility. "Well, if you don't like cookies, you only had to say so…"

Raven whirled around, and Elastigirl was shocked by the way her eyes glowed red. "No. How DARE you and the Doom Patrol come around here, pretending to be Gar's parents, when you've never taken up that role before. How dare you accuse US of abandoning Gar when you made no effort to contact him until we found you in the Amazon." Raven was utterly furious at the apparent hypocrisy and struggled to maintain control of herself. Despite her best efforts, though, several objects (including the teapot) glowed black and hurled themselves over the side of the roof.

Elastigirl narrowed her eyes. "You really want to do this now?" she queried. "The first time you meet your boyfriend's mother and you want to start with this?"

"I've been meaning to have this talk with you people for a long time." Raven said, her tone now icy with barely-controlled anger. "Do you have ANY idea what kind of issues Gar has because of you? He constantly questions and berates himself, sure that no matter how well he does or how much he improves he can never be good enough. His self-image is positively abysmal, mainly because his so-called family spent most of his childhood criticizing his every move. One of the reasons he's so childish is because he feels he was never allowed to have a REAL childhood! Even after he led the other Titans in the attack on the Brain he's still convinced that he's a screw-up and a failure!"

Elastigirl put a hand to her mouth and let out a long sigh. "I had no idea it was that bad…"

"Well it is." Raven snapped. "And now- and now here you are, claiming to be so worried about him. Claiming that WE should have done more. And I want to know what in the world makes you think you have the right to judge us, when we've been more of a family to Gar than you ever were."

"Raven, do you know what the mortality rate in the superhero community is?" Rita asked as she sat down next to the younger woman. "It's something like seventy five percent. That means that, of any four starting heroes, three will die within ten years."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Raven asked, her tone still full of anger.

"Everything. When Steve and myself first adopted Gar, we had no intention of bringing him onto the team- we just wanted to give the boy a better life with us. But when he turned 8 he started begging us to let him join us on missions. We resisted for a while, but it became clear that he wasn't going to let up easily so Steve came up with a plan." Here Elastigirl gave a small, rueful smile. "We agreed to let Gar join the team if, and only if, he was able to keep up with our training for 6 months. You know how Gar is- he gets all these ideas of what he wants to do, but he can be discouraged pretty easily if it isn't something he's really serious about."

Raven nodded. Beastboy had a habit of picking up hobbies when they interested him, but abandoning them as soon as his interest waned or it stopped being easy.

"We thought this would be the same- he'd go to a few of our training sessions but would give up once he realized how much pain and effort just training with us required." She gave out a long sigh. "We were wrong- Gar pushed himself harder than anyone imagined he could. Eventually, he told Steve why he was so serious about it. The little guy was terrified for us every time we went out into the field, certain that one day we wouldn't be coming back. He wanted to be a member of the team so that he could help protect us- he couldn't bear the thought of losing another set of parents. I think it comes from a sense of guilt about the deaths of his birth parents. Whatever the cause, the night that we found out his motivation, Mento and I had a talk…

_Rita walked into the kitchen of the Doom Patrol, where she knew her husband would be. Sure enough, he was sitting at the small table nursing a cup of coffee. He looked up as she came in. She was struck, as always, at how different Steve Dayton was from Mento- without his mask and helmet, the man in front of her looked (and acted) ten years younger._

_"So I gather you overheard my little talk with Gar?" He asked._

_"Steve, we have to do something about this." Rita declared, sitting down across from him. "It's not healthy for an 8 year old boy to feel responsible for the safety of his parents. We have to make an appointment for him to see a psychologist."_

_"I'm not so sure we should." Steve replied taking a sip of coffee. "Superheroes aren't generally seen as the best parents. If it comes out that his foster parents are members of the Doom Patrol, one of the world's less-respected super teams, it seems likely that someone will try to take Gar away from us."_

_Rita sagged a little in her seat. "You really think they'd take him away from us? After all we've done for him?"_

_"Remember how hard it was for us to get custody of Gar from that guardian of his?" Steve replied. "I'll bet my entire fortune that if he ever learns our secret identities, that Galtry bastard will drag our names through the mud in order to get his hands on Gar and his inheritance. Ask yourself this: even with the issues we learned about today, isn't Garfield a hundred- a thousand!- times better off with us than with that manipulative slime ball?"_

_Rita nodded. "Well, at least we can put a stop to his training. We know now he's not just going to give it up until we tell him we won't allow it. That's one conversation I'm not looking forward to." Noticing her husband's shifting in his seat, she gave him a disbelieving look. "You aren't actually thinking of letting him go through with this?!"_

_"I am." Came the reply. "You said it yourself, he won't give this up on his own, and you know Gar. If we forbid him to join the team, he'll just sneak along on our missions anyway- with his powers, it'd be almost impossible to stop him. If we continue with his training, we can at least make sure he's able to do his part and keep himself safe- or as safe as any superhero can be."_

_"But-but Steve, do you think we can do it?" Rita asked, worry plain in her voice. "Can we balance being his mother and father with being his team leaders?"_

_"Honestly? No." Steve replied, sighing deeply. "I don't think we can, which is why I will take over Gar's training alone. Better he at least stays close with one of us, rather than come to think of us both as hard-assed commanders."_

_Now it was Rita's turn to sigh. "He's probably going to come to hate you, you know. Not mention having issues for the rest of his life."_

_"I can live with that" Mento said, taking her hand. "Because it will guarantee that he HAS a rest of his life."_

"And that's what happened. Steve let his role of father take a distant backseat to Mento's role as leader and trainer. Gar became a skilled hero, but… I don't think he ever really got over the change."

"Not really." Raven confirmed, her voice softer now. "He's always seemed conflicted about Mento- he has fond father-son memories but they're outweighed by the less pleasant training and criticism."

Rita nodded sadly, but her tone remained resolute. "But he's still alive, and still healthy. Which is more than can be said for a lot of young heroes. Do you understand now?"

"I actually do." Raven said with a nod. "My own mother made the same choice- I was never close to her, but she taught me a great deal. I would never have learned to control my powers without her. I understand your decision and hers, but it doesn't mean I don't wish things couldn't have been different."

The two sat in silence for a long, long time, looking out over the city and the night sky. Eventually, Raven spoke again. "Do you think" she asked "that we could give the whole 'first meeting' thing a second try? I don't think I did quite as well as I might have."

"Oh, honey!" Rita laughed. "Neither did we! Mento and I had the whole thing planned out. We were going to come into town, and take you kids to a nice restaurant for the formal meeting. We'd tell you all kinds of stories from Gar's childhood- I even made a special album of some of the most adorable photos! Mento would explain his decision to Gar and try to fix their relationship, while I got to know you better."

"That sounds nice." Raven said, a little wistfully. "I wish it could have happened that way."

"It will. We'll find Garfield and call this whole day a mulligan." Rita said, standing up. As she did so, the door to the Tower opened, and Mento stuck his head out.

"Elastigirl, we're leaving in ten minutes." He said.

"I'll be ready. I've just been having a little talk with Garfield's young lady." Elastigirl replied. "She was telling me we were horrible parents, and I explained why that was."

"Ah. And did she forgive us?"

Elastigirl looked to Raven, who gave a small smile. "I think so."

A/N

The portrayal of the Doom Patrol in the Titans cartoon always bugged me. In the comics, Mento wasn't the hard-assed leader of the team from the start. He started out as a rich guy who bought himself a telepathy helmet so he could join the team and date Elastigirl. Hell, if memory serves his first 'assignment' was babysitting a certain green child! While it's true that he DID become a borderline-obsessive hard ass, that wasn't until AFTER Beastboy left the team. I really wanted to give the guy a chance to explain himself, and after a lot of thought I figured out how to fit him and the rest of the Doom Patrol into the story. (Well, apart from Robotman but honestly I really couldn't get a feel for his personality and rather than misuse him, I just sidelined him a little.)

As for the explanation itself- it strikes me that you can either be a good superhero mentor or a good parent, but not both. A mentor has to push his apprentice to the limits, ride him 24/7, and never let up to ensure that the apprentice learns everything they can and is as good as they can be. A good parent is warm, nurturing and encouraging. My guess is that you'd have to choose- and I guessed that Mento, like Batman, chose to be a mentor and I thought I explained the reasoning pretty well.

But what do you think?


	9. Chapter 9

Ten O'clock found Starfire in the kitchen, preparing a snack for Robin and herself- two slices of homemade cake and some of Raven's herbal tea all on a small tray. As she had told Robin earlier that evening before they encountered the Doom Patrol, she regretted the fact that they had had very little time alone together in recent weeks. That day had been a hectic one, and tomorrow looked to be more of the same, so she resolved to take advantage of whatever quiet periods they had to be with her boyfriend. Right now Tim was in his room reviewing the evidence they had accumulated so far- given how very little that was, she felt confident he would not mind a short interruption. Besides, she was bringing important news!

When she arrived at the door to his room, she heard Tim emit a loud groan. From experience she knew that this was not a sound of pain but of frustration, and so she restrained the urge to simply burst inside, instead knocking gently on the door. After a moment, the door slid open and she stepped inside. The room was dark (as it always seemed to be) and Tim was at his desk, with his head resting on the desktop amid a great many scattered papers. In front of him, the monitor to his computer provided the only source of illumination, while his mask hung from one corner of the monitor. As Starfire approached, he groaned again.

"I take it all is not proceeding well?" the alien girl asked as she set her burden down in a small clear spot she found on the desk.

"Not at all. Commissioner Whyte anticipated my plans and sent me a modified version of the JCPD's facial recognition software- I thought I could set it to analyze the security footage that we got from the Sunnyvale Rest Home. That way we could find out who this Strohmann really is, and question him." Tim raised his head, rubbing at his eyes.

Starfire handed him a cup of tea before taking a small sip from her own. "But this is good news surely?"

"Not really. You see, our Doctor Strohmann was wearing sunglasses and had long hair- both of which are huge problems for facial recognition software. Plus, I'm pretty sure that he's wearing makeup to further conceal his identity. So, instead of having the computer match his face in a few minutes, I'm going to have to spend who knows how long doing it by myself." Tim sipped his tea and made a face. "Oh man, this is bitter. How long did you steep the tea?"

"Two hours" Starfire said, taking a larger sip of her tea. "I find that it tastes better this way. I find that humans put far too much sugar in their beverages- Tamaranians enjoy more bitter flavors".

Robin put down his tea and eyed the cake suspiciously. Starfire saw him and laughed. "Do not worry- I enjoy sweetened foods as much as humans do! Cyborg assisted me in baking this earlier and assured me that it was most tasty. Please try some!"

Tim took a tentative bite and smiled. The cake was a little dry but otherwise quite good. "Anyway, that's what I was moaning about. I had really put a lot of hope on this program to help us start on the trail for Beastboy, but it just didn't work out." He reached out and tapped the envelope which remained on the snack tray. The front of the envelope was covered in strange alien writing- not Tamaranian (which he knew well enough to at least recognize) but a strange, sinuous text he'd never seen before. "What do you have there, Star?"

"Ah! I had forgotten!" Starfire exclaimed, grabbing the envelope. "It is a letter for you, from Prince Glrdsklechhh of the planet Drenthax IV!"

Tim was so shocked he spat out the cake he'd been chewing, spraying crumbs across his workspace and sending Starfire diving for cover behind his pillow. He wiped his mouth and stared at Starfire incredulously. "That green blobby… THING… that tried to marry you? Why in the world would he write to me?"

"I do not know, for I have not spoken to him since we left Tamaran." Starfire replied, once again offering the letter to Tim, who pushed it back.

"I don't think I'll be able to read his language, so why don't you read it to me?" he said.

Starfire gave a horrified gasp, as though her boyfriend had suggested something horrifyingly indecent. "I could never do that! The letter was written to you! You must be the one to read it!"

"Okay, okay!" Tim said, his hands raised in a placatory gesture. "I'll give it a try."

He took the envelope from a now-smiling alien princess and tore it open. Quickly scanning the text, he let out a short laugh. "Oh wow. Well, it's in English- sort of."

"Oh, please share the contents of the letter! I have been most curious all day!" Starfire pleaded, taking a seat on his bed.

"All right, here goes." Robin paused to clear his throat before beginning to read his letter aloud.

_Dear Red Bird Boy  
>Firstly, please to forgiveness the tongue I am to used. I am not knowing your Earthy language and so am conducting this letter in my own language, then ordering it made into Tamaranian- it will to be sent to that world to be transformed into your languages and I am teld that some errs may creep up during this procedure. <em>

_Seconds, I wish for you to passed on my apologies to Prince-Female Koriand'r. My agent to Tamarans teld me that my deal with her sibling seeminged to her as like a purchase- as though I were buyed her. This was not the case; Prince-Female Komand'r demandinged the Jewel of Charta in exchange for a marriage alliance between our worlds. I was tolded that Prince-Female Koriand'r had made this request._

_For third place, I am apologies for how I behaved when first we meeted. The Prince-Female Komand'r had tolded me that Prince-Female Koriand'r was without romantic partnership- that you were simply a companion who was needfullessly attached to her. Such partnerships are nearly sacred among the persons of my world, and never would I knowingly inject in such.  
>However, my advice-makers tell me that we are needing closer knots to the planet Tamaran- we must be as singular against the Gordanian and Psion alliance. They threaten both our worlds, and it makes only sense that we stand as singular to defy them. A marriage would be perfection, but I cannot force myself into breaking your partnership with Koriand'r. It would not only weigh heavily upon my livers, it would be a scandalous among my people. Not to be mentioned… <em>

Here the Boy Wonder trailed off and looked up at his girlfriend guiltily. "Uh, he, um. He says that he thought you were really ugly, Star and that he dreaded the thought of marrying you. His words! Not mine!"

In the past, Starfire had shown herself to be surprisingly sensitive about her appearance, and he was afraid that Glrdsklechhh's comment would provoke her to sadness or rage. To his surprise (and relief) Starfire merely nodded. "This seems logical. After all, if he seemed ugly to us then it would only be natural for him to think the same of humanoids. Is there more?"

"A bit more." Tim confirmed. "Uh… _In any eventuality, I am having a notion which may solve my difficulty and allow me to repair my former misdeeds. I am wishing to make you_…" Robin paused before looking up. "Star, I can't read this next word- I think it's in his language."

Starfire took the paper and frowned at it for a moment, before a look of awe came across her features. "He wishes you to become kl'qhruhl to him. He asks you to become a part of his family, to join the royal house of Drenthax! This is… a singular honor!"

Robin's brow creased in thought. "So… I would become royalty?"

"Yes!" Starfire exclaimed, literally bouncing in her seat with excitement. "You would be a prince of the second ranking!"

A slow smile spread across the Boy Wonder's face. "Well, that ought to make your family and Galfore more accepting of me, shouldn't it?"

Starfire paused in mid-bounce, a huge grin appearing on her own features before she flew across the room to seize her boyfriend in an immense hug. "I had not even CONSIDERED that! They will have to accept you- and us! This is glorious news! I had been so worried since your talk with Dick and Babs in Gotham- I feared that the difference in our status would doom our love before it could truly bloom!"

"Urk! Star! Air!" Tim managed to gasp as his face turned purple. Abashed, the alien girl released her hold and moved back to the bed. The dark haired boy took a deep breath and massaged his throat. "I think we should hold off on doing this, Star, and not just because of Beastboy. If your family found out I was a prince on a strategically important planet- even if it was in name only- they'd probably push for us to be married as soon as possible to cement an alliance."

Starfire's face fell. "Y-You do not wish to marry me?"

"Not right now, no. Some day for sure but.." Tim said, speaking quickly to avoid giving her the wrong idea. "It's really not the right time for us. We're still in the exploring stages of a romantic relationship- we know that we're great friends but we're still finding out if we can really work as a couple. For another thing, neither of us can afford to go offworld right now. Even if we found Beastboy tomorrow, it's pretty obvious that there's something BIG going on in Jump City. Finally, if Robin becomes nobility on an alien planet and then marries the Princess of ANOTHER alien planet… well, it would play havoc with any chance of my living as Tim Drake ever again. So, we need to really set things up before we make that next step."

"I see." Starfire said, as she rose from the bed and approached the desk. "Well, at least now I have no reason to fear that we will be forced to part due to my status. And I will admit, it is pleasant to know that my boyfriend truly IS the handsome prince. Is there any more to the letter?"

"No, not really. He says that I can become… kell krool?... to him any time I want, so long as I give him time to set up the ceremony. He finishes with good wishes for all the Titans and says he hopes I'll reply soon." Robin leaned forward and kissed her gently. "Thanks for understanding my reasons for postponing the marriage talk, Star. Do you want to hang out here for a while?"

In response, the princess gave voice to an enormous yawn. "I do not think so. Instead, I will shower in preparation for my slorvax. Friend Jinx left me a new body soap which I wish to try. She says that it will make the skin tingle all over my body, and I am eager to experience this sensation. Pleasant slorvax, Tim."

As he watched his girlfriend walk out of the room, Tim reflected that it was hard having a girlfriend whose sex drive was active only part of the time. Right now, Starfire had no idea the effect her description had on him- the idea that he might be picturing her soapy body, tingling all over, simply wouldn't occur to her right now. In a little while that would change and when it did… he shook his head. No. This wasn't the right time- they had to focus on finding their friend. There'd be plenty of time for… tingling… afterwards.

With a sigh he turned back to his desk and forced his attention back onto the files piled there.

For a moment he wondered if he could get started right now, rather than waiting for the morning. He let out a huge yawn and shook his head- he was too tired to be productive. Better to get a good night's rest and approach it fresh. As he began to collect the files to put them away, his computer let out a complicated series of beeps causing him to frown. That was the signal that Batman needed to talk to him.

Given the Dark Knight's habits, it was unlikely that he would call over a minor matter, meaning that whatever he wanted to talk about must be complex- which, in turn, meant that Tim had several hours work ahead of him at least. With a sigh he turned back to his computer and activated the various security programs which would render their conversation untappable and untraceable, before contacting his mentor.

When Batman appeared on screen, he was clearly distracted. Nevertheless, he took a moment to examine his former sidekick. "You look like hell" was his considered judgement. "Are you all right?"

"I've been running around for the last sixteen hours, and I've not had time for a shower yet. What's up?" Tim replied.

In response Batman lifted a file folder to within the camera's field of vision. "I have a partial solution to your Slade mystery." He said simply. "I've found out who he really is."

THAT made Robin sit bolt upright in his chair. "What? HOW?! I checked every crime database and police system in the country! I didn't find any cases involving Slade, much less anything about his real identity!"

"I know you did. I also know that you searched those databases with admirable efficiency" Batman said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards just slightly as he praised his former pupil. "That is why I didn't bother checking those sources beyond a cursory search. What I did instead was to search INTERPOL's files for crimes and cases featuring a perpetrator in a half-orange mask. As I told you back in Gotham, super criminals rarely abandon a theme or costume once they've committed to it- it ties into the sense of superiority and uniqueness which seems to be a frequent feature of costumed criminals. I also examined your reports on Slade's fighting style, and used that to help narrow the field by focusing on candidates known to have extensive martial arts training."

"Well?" Robin said, his impatience showing despite his efforts at self-control. "What did you find?"

"Well, for one thing, I discovered why there was no record of 'Slade' before now." Batman replied, opening the file folder. "It isn't his usual criminal name, but rather a part of his ACTUAL name- Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke the Terminator. Born in the nineteen thirties, enlisted in the Army at age sixteen to fight in Korea. While there, his skills came to the attention of his superiors who enlisted him into a special-forces unit lead by a woman named Adeline Kane, who became his mentor and later his wife, and promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel. During the Vietnam War, Wilson was selected for a secret experiment designed to produce metahuman soldiers. The experiment gave him borderline superhuman physical abilities, heightened his intelligence and mental agility, and imbued him with a powerful healing factor- among the strongest on record. He went AWOL shortly after the experiment, and has spent the intervening years as a mercenary and freelance terrorist for whoever would pay him. He operated mainly in the Third World, and had a few run-ins with minor superteams but managed to stay off the JLAs radar through a combination of skill and contacts in high places."

"Okay" Robin said slowly. "That explains who he is, but just raises others. If he spent most of his career in the Third World, why did he suddenly come to Jump City? Where did he get the resources to build up armies of robots? Why did he suddenly decide to go from hired gun to criminal mastermind? Above all else why did he decide to target us?"

"I can't answer those questions. Not yet, anyway." Batman said, clearly irked at having to admit there was something he didn't know. "But I did discover one other thing."

After a pause, Tim coughed. "And that was…?" he prompted.

"Wilson and his wife had two children- a son and a daughter." Batman replied hesitantly. "I was unable to discover any information about the daughter beyond her existence, but I found records that revealed who the boy is now. His name was Joseph Wilson, but you know him as Jericho."

Robin leaned back in his chair, stunned. "JERICHO is Slade's SON?!"

"Without question. The boy's metahuman powers were noticed in early childhood, and duly recorded by the authorities. While I can't trace his activities of the last few years, given the rarity of his particular power-set, I feel confident that it's him." Batman cleared his throat. "What will you do with this information?"

"Nothing." Tim answered, still struggling to wrap his mind around everything he'd just learned. "I'll send word to the Titans South, but that's all. It'll be up to them whether or not they want him to continue as leader."

"I think you're making a mistake. Slade has an inside line on your group through his son, just as you have one on him." Batman said flatly. "You should question Jericho thoroughly about his father, and then keep him out of the command loop."

"I understand your concerns, but Jericho's earned our trust. I'll question him about Slade as soon as I can, but he's not my top priority right now." Robin replied firmly. "Right now I'm focused on whoever it was that kidnapped Beastboy and I doubt that Slade's responsible for that. His resources just aren't sufficient to pull off something this big, especially since the Joker decimated his operations here in Jump. I'm doubly sure now that I know who he is, since his mercenary past means he doesn't have international backing- mercenaries make too many enemies for that."

"That's up to you." Batman said with a small shrug. "I'll continue to research this- the questions you raised earlier have been troubling me as well."

"I'll do the same, whenever I can find the time." Robin said with a nod. "Is there anything else, or do I have permission to go to bed?"

"Nothing important. Sleep well." Batman said as he closed the link.

A/N

Short, I know but it's been a crazy couple months. Little something for you Rob/Star fans, and a little something on Slade. This is his comic-book backstory (or the one he had before the reboot- God only knows what it is now). The questions Robin asked are ones that bothered me too- yes, the comics answer those questions but for various reasons those answers can't work in the context of the cartoon (Those of you who know what I'm talking about please keep it out of the comments- I don't want anyone complaining about spoilers). So, I'll be making up answers of my own as we go on. Answers that I doubt anyone can see coming just now.

The weaknesses of facial-recognition software are very real, and it always bugs me when movies and TV pretend that that technology can instantly ID a criminal from one image.

As for Glrdsklechhh, the show never really established WHY he wanted to marry Starfire. It couldn't be physical attraction- she'd look about as pretty to him as he did to her. So I figured it must have been a political thing, and in that context it was just as likely that Blackfire put the idea in his head. I also felt that the episode in question put him in too negative a light- he was basically nothing more than the Other Guy trying to steal Robin's girl. So I gave him a little more depth.

I decided to make Jericho the leader of the Titans South because I like him.

Finally, please excuse any and all spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter. See, the letter from Glrdsklechhh kinda makes me leery of running spell check and while I and my proofreader did our best, we're only humn. Please bear with us.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Robin called a meeting of the Titans in order to outline what his mentor had told him the previous night. He laid everything out clearly and honestly, holding nothing back- Slade's past, his work history, and the sources Batman had used to find him. The other Titans were as shocked by the news of Jericho's parentage as he'd been himself, but he was proud of the fact that they took it more or less the same way he had- there were no recriminations, and no accusations. Raven put it best when she said "Who a person's parents were is less important than who that person is. I like to think I'm living proof of that."

Afterwards, Robin began to lay out the plans for the coming weeks. "Batgirl, you and I will be going through the mug shots in the Jump City Police Database- we'll be comparing them to the security footage of Strohmann. I think you were trained in identifying people using secondary traits?"

The quiet girl nodded. "Father insisted I learn. He said it's vital for an assassin. Targets often try to hide, after all. Need to be able to identify them even when their eyes and hair are covered. Takes a while."

"I know, but it's all we can do at this point." Robin admitted. He turned to Cyborg. "I'll need you to examine that same security footage- not just what we got from the sanitarium, but also what the airport has. I want you to go over it with a fine tooth comb, see if there's something- no matter how small- that we might have missed."

Cyborg gave a large grin. "I got good news on that front. I was going over the footage from the asylums external cameras, and I managed to get a partial view of Strohmann's license plate. I was able to see the last four digits, but the first four were covered in mud. Now, this ain't perfect, but it does give us a place to look. If we compare it to the city's driver's registry, we can narrow our list of suspects down a bit. If we can get a list of cars that were stolen or that belonged to known criminals at the time BB was snatched, we can narrow that list even further."

Robin nodded. "True, but remember, the car might be borrowed rather than stolen and the license plate might well be fake- in fact, I suspect it probably is, given the level of preparedness and planning the kidnappers have shown so far. By all means, follow the lead but don't give it 100% of your time- we still need you to check that footage."

"Okay, Rob." Cyborg said, a bit deflated.

The Boy Wonder noticed this and gave Cyborg a pat on the back. "It was a good idea, Cy. I wasn't shooting it down; I just don't want us getting sidetracked again."

"I beg pardon" Starfire interjected "But what are Raven and I to do?"

"The thing is, Star, neither you or Raven are really experts at this sort of investigation. So I'm going to ask you to take up the bulk of the patrol duties- not all of it, but I need one or both of you to be patrolling every day. That'll let the rest of us spend as much time as possible on the search." Robin said apologetically. "There's more. I read Raven's report, and I agree that now more than ever we need to maintain a high level of public visibility- reassure the citizens of Jump that we're here and we're on the job. That means doing public events- hospital visits, school speeches, interviews and so on. The rest of us will help out when we can, but the bulk of that is going to fall to the two of you."

Raven groaned, but Starfire nodded. "If we are unable to assist in the search directly, then the least that we can do is ensure it can progress unimpeded. Is that not so, Raven?"

"Yeah." Raven agreed, her voice sour. "But I nominate you for all interviews. I'll handle the hospital visits."

"This is well." Starfire agreed with a smile. Terran hospitals made her nervous- they reminded her too much of the Psions laboratory. "I am also gladdened that we shall patrol together, for we have not had much of the girl time as of late."

"I'd like that." Raven said, her tone warmer now.

Robin cleared his throat. "As pleased as I am that you two are taking this so well, don't lose track of what you're doing out there. In addition to keeping an eye out for regular criminals, I want you to watch for any suspicious activity- our kidnappers have been careful and lucky so far, but sooner or later they'll do something to give themselves away. If we catch that, it could solve the whole case in a heartbeat so stay alert."

"While you're at it, Rae, try that psychic-vibe trace thingy we talked about before" Cyborg added. "You use that thing we found?"

"Each and every night, unfortunately." Raven said, a brief look of distaste crossing her face. "It's uncomfortable to say the least, but I think it will help."

Robin, who'd been following this exchange, decided to cut in. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Long ago, in Azarath, I learned how to track someone using their psychic residue- what laymen often call a 'vibe'." Raven replied. "Unfortunately, Gar's been away so long that I found I was starting to forget the feel of his psyche. So I went through his possessions with Cyborg, looking for something to which he felt a strong emotional connection. We found… a suitable object, let's leave it at that."

"I can't leave it at that, Raven." Robin responded with a frown. "In the first place, if you're doing something that places you in even the slightest risk, I need to be aware of it. In the second place, I need to know what ALL my teammates are doing if I want to have any hope at all of coordinating their efforts. So. What object did you find and how have you been using it?"

Raven was briefly tempted to make up an answer that would fluster and embarrass the Boy Wonder- something like 'the wrapper from the first condom we used' or 'a pair of my panties'. She was surprised not only by the impulse itself but by how strong it was. She chalked it up to Beastboy's influence on her- and felt another pang that he wasn't around to enjoy how thoroughly he'd corrupted her. She shook it off, though- Robin's request might have been uncomfortable but he was right. As team leader, he did have a right to know of everything the team was doing to find Beastboy, and of all the methods they were using.

"It's a jar of river water that Gar was keeping in his room." She said "Cyborg and I think it might have come from the river where his parent's drowned."

Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask, and he sucked in a long breath. "Ooookaay. Well, that's one more thing for Gar to discuss with his therapist once we get him back."

The young hero looked around the table at his friend's shocked (and angry) expressions, returning them with a glare of his own. "Oh, what? Did anyone really think Gar was going to just rejoin the team like nothing had happened? Don't you remember what happened the last time we decided to do that- or do you really want him to go through that nightmare all over again? When we get him back, Gar's probably going to go right back to therapy- but this time, he'll do it here in the Tower."

"That wise?" Cassie wondered. "You tried that before. I wasn't here. But from what you said it didn't work."

"To say the least." Raven growled. "Robin, I'm no happier than anyone else about sending Gar away as soon as we get him back, but I'm NOT putting him through anymore homemade treatments. I love him too much to hurt him like that."

"It'll be different this time." Robin assured her. "I've been speaking to the JLA and they're going to send us one of the psychologists they keep on-staff up at the Watchtower. The doctors they use are super-discrete, used to dealing with unusual patients and are some of the best therapists in the world. He or she will live in the Tower and work with Beastboy until they figure he's ready to move on."

"Okay. Makes sense." Batgirl said "What do we do when we aren't working? Can't spend all day going through photos. Can we?"

Robin shook his head. "No, I learned my lesson- focusing too much on one task reduces efficiency. I think twelve hours a day for searching, and one hour of training for those of us not on patrol. That leaves two hours a day recreation and meals, with eight hours set aside for sleep. Does that work for everyone?"

"Yeah, I think it'll do." Cyborg said, getting out of his seat. "The way I see it, we've got a workable plan and a workable schedule. So let's get to it and find my little buddy!"

* * *

><p>Naturally, it wasn't quite that simple- the Titans spent more than a week following Robin's plan to no avail. Batgirl and Robin spent their days painstakingly examining each and every mug shot in the JCPD record, comparing them to the images they had of Strohmann. They spent hours on each, examining them in minute detail and using Robin's computer to give them long hair and glasses like Strohmann's. For all their effort, they still came no closer to identifying the mysterious kidnapper.<p>

Cyborg proved no more fruitful or speedy in either of his tasks- the list of vehicles proved to be a dead end, as the only stolen vehicles he could find whose license plates contained the digits he'd captured from Strohmann's car were trucks and vans. The metal man was reluctantly forced to concede that Robin's objections had been right- the car had either been borrowed or the license plate had been faked. Following that, he devoted almost all of his energy to examining the footage from the hospital and the airport. He spent hours going over each frame, examining it at almost microscopic level using the unique image enhancement technology he'd designed for the Titan's computers. He searched in vain for some clue or behavioral tell that might help to identify the culprit.

Raven and Starfire, meanwhile, ran themselves ragged patrolling Jump City. At first, they focused on maintaining maximum public visibility- they did most of their patrols during the daylight hours, and swept through the most populous parts of the city first. But, after a few days, they noticed something- the crime rate wasn't going down as fast as they had expected it to once the Titans return became general knowledge. To be sure, there hadn't been any super villain activity or monster attacks, but ordinary crime remained higher than normal.

As a result, the two super heroines were frantically busy on patrol, and generally returned to the Tower exhausted. This was worsened by the fact that they were both going out practically every day- while the other Titans offered to take a shift on patrol, both girls usually refused, stating that finding Beastboy was the top priority. Starfire spent what little free time she had sunbathing to regain her energy, while Raven opted to meditate on the river water she'd found in Beastboy's room. Due to the unpleasant nature of the object in question, she chose to meditate on it near her friends, either on the roof with Starfire or in Robin's room.

Despite all this, Robin held the team to the schedule he'd set up at the start of the search. The Titans began their day at six AM with an hour of training, with each Titan following their own schedule designed around their personal skills. After breakfast, work would begin- Robin and Batgirl returned to Robin's room, Cyborg planted himself in front of the main computer while Starfire and Raven began their first patrol of the day. There would be a short break at noon for lunch, which the team usually ate together, after which they would return to their tasks until dinner at seven o'clock. Following dinner, the young heroes would relax together until ten o'clock- watching movies, playing games, or just talking. Cyborg and Robin even found time to continue their prank war- Robin took especial glee in beginning this round by replacing Cyborg's metal polish (used to bring out a shine on his cybernetics) with shoe polish. The pranks were done more to amuse their team mates and relieve the pressure than out of any real joy- both heroes were too tense to really enjoy the jokes. All in all, the Titans managed to cope with the stress of their workload and the nature of their task admirably.

At least at first.

As days turned into weeks, however, the strain began to tell. The Titans began to cut short their recreation time, and to take their meals at their workstations, reasoning that there was no sense in pausing their search just for meals. For their part, Raven and Starfire spent more time on patrol, pushing themselves harder and harder in an attempt to stay on top of the rising crime wave. Soon, their entire day was taken up by the search for their friend. They cut their sleep time down to a mere five hours per night, and (apart from their morning training) spent almost the whole day at their respective tasks. While they still stopped actively working for an hour before bed, the time came to resemble a team meeting more than it did actual recreation, as the Titans spent the time reviewing their findings for that day.

Naturally, this intensified schedule began to have its effects on the heroes. The minds of most sentient beings simply aren't designed for unending work, and the Titans became increasingly stressed out. They attributed this stress to the lack of progress in the search for Beastboy, and increased their efforts further. As usual, it was Robin who pushed himself the hardest- the Boy Wonder had secretly cut his sleep-time down to three hours per night, using coffee and cola to keep himself going. Even the team meetings were eliminated, with the Titans simply returning to work after dinner. Tempers around the Tower began to fray, with the normally close team becoming increasingly snappish and solitary.

The situation might have spiralled completely out of control, if it hadn't been for Starfire.

* * *

><p>Starfire hurled the plastic tube across the room in disgust. The pink device- still emitting a fitful and sporadic buzzing sound- clattered against the wall and split open, spilling its batteries across the floor. The alien girl fell backwards onto her bed and gave voice to a deep sigh of frustration and melancholy.<p>

Her mating season had begun once again, but it was far stronger than it normally was. Ordinarily, her body would simply be receptive to the idea of mating while her mind would drift into romantic and sexual fantasies. If things became truly dire she would make use of the gift she had received at Christmas of this year- a selection of pleasure devices sent to her by an anonymous citizen. But this time was different- her body positively ached with need, and her mind seemed to be permanently fixated on sex. None of the devices she tried were able to help her at all- it felt like she was merely whetting her appetite as Terrans said.

She wasn't sure why this time was so different. Perhaps it was a result of her exposure to the Scarecrow's gas weapon- X'hal only knew what effect Terran chemical weapons might have on her Tameranian biology. Or perhaps it was a psychological response to her closer relationship to Robin- her last mating season had occurred before Tim's meeting with Dick and Barbara, before he had confirmed his belief in their relationship. Whatever the cause, she was feeling incredibly frustrated and could think of no way to gain relief.

Suddenly, the young princess sat bolt upright as an idea struck her. 'That is not true' she thought to herself. 'There IS a way for me to satisfy my urges. I have a boyfriend now- and Tim and I are closer than we have ever been. Perhaps this is not the PERFECT time, but neither is it wholly impossible for us to mate.'

Of course, there was a problem. Raven would not be happy if Starfire distracted Robin from the search for Beastboy, particularly not for this reason. At best, Raven would be angry, at worst she might feel that Starfire placed no value on her friend's feelings. Still, she would certainly never gain her friend's approval if she did not ask it. There was, after all, little alternative- her body's needs were driving her mad.

Cyborg had taken a break, of sorts, from his work to come to Robin's room to examine the computer. He'd decided to see if it was possible to improve on the JCPD's facial recognition software enough that it would be able to identify Strohmann regardless of his attempts at disguise. The room was quite crowded- Robin and Batgirl were seated on the bed, examining a pile of mug shots, he was seated at the desk near the computer, and Raven was in the far corner of the room meditating. Despite this, the room was very quiet as everyone was intensely focused on their own work. Indeed, he'd been so focused on the computer that if he hadn't stopped working to stretch he might not have noticed Starfire come into the room at all.

As he watched, the alien girl carefully and quietly made her way over to Raven's side, before tapping her friend on the shoulder. When Raven opened her eyes, Starfire leaned over to whisper into her ear. Raven's normally stoic face underwent a series of rapid changes- from worried, to unbelieving, to angry before she whispered something back to Starfire. Whatever it was, it must not have been what the princess wanted to hear. To Cyborg's amazement, Starfire fell onto her knees and began to beg Raven for whatever it was- still whispering all the while. Raven's face turned to shock before she gave a single, somewhat grudging nod. Starfire leapt to her feet and enveloped the gray empath in a hug before making her way to the bed and clearing her throat.

"Friend Cassie, I must ask you something." She said in a loud voice. Once she was satisfied that she had everyone's attention, she resumed speaking. "Do you feel that your investigation would be critically harmed if I were to borrow Robin for the evening?"

There was a moment of stunned silence before Robin replied. "Star, I really can't…"

Starfire turned on him and silenced him with a look. "I did not ask you a question, Robin, so please do not answer."

"Um. I don't think so." Cassie replied, uncertainty in her voice. She had never seen her friend like this, so… determined. "Kind of stuck. Was just planning to break for the night."

"Very well. Then you will not object to my taking him to my room." Starfire said brightly. Suiting deeds to words, she seized her boyfriend by the arms and lifted him into the air and over her head. "I wish you all a pleasant evening and a peaceful slorvax."

As she made her way to the door (with Cyborg and Batgirl staring at her wide-eyed) Robin began to struggle. "Starfire, what are you doing? I need to-"

The alien girl lowered him until they were almost eye-to-eye (though she kept Robin's feet off the ground). "No, Robin." She all but growled. "I am currently in the midst of the most intense mating period I have ever experienced. We will go now to my room and you will spend the evening assisting me with this problem."

It shouldn't have been possible for Cyborg and Cassie's eyes to widen any further than they had already, yet somehow they managed it. Robin, meanwhile, turned as red as his uniform and sputtered incoherently for a moment, before he managed to blurt out "Starfire! Y-You can't be serious!"

"Did my voice change in some manner? For I was not making a request." Starfire then lifted her boyfriend back over her head and left the room, her friends staring after her.

As she made her way down through the Tower back to her bedchamber, Starfire reflected on how strange the human attitude to sexuality truly was. It was a far more pervasive force within their culture than within that of her species, human mating urges being a constant feature of their lives rather than a cyclical one- it controlled their fashion, their self-image, and influenced all aspects of their entertainment and arts, much as honor and warfare did in Tamaranian culture. Yet despite this apparent obsession with sex in general, humans seemed to be almost ashamed of their own sex lives and those of their close friends- she could tell that the other Titans had been shocked and a little embarrassed to hear her speak casually of her mating needs. Indeed, despite his obvious attraction to her and the depth of their feelings for one another, Robin had been hesitant to even discuss the matter- he'd been almost afraid to touch her during their dates. She had decided on the forceful approach in order to push he lover past his shyness, although he seemed committed to his timidity. Even now he struggled in vain against her superior strength.

When they reached her chamber, she carefully locked the door behind her and dropped Robin onto her bed. To her shock, the Boy Wonder hit the bed rolling and came up in a fighting stance, withdrawing his bo staff from his belt and holding it in a guard position.

"STARFIRE!" he yelled (YELLED!) "I said no! I don't know how things work on Tamaran, but here no means NO. If you're having problems with your mating…urges, then we can discuss them, and deal with them medically. But you have no right to drag me to your room and try to force yourself on me- that's called rape."

Rape? Is that how he saw it? Starfire felt tears pricking at her eyes. Once again she had erred- she had meant only to be forceful. Perhaps she had overestimated Tim's feelings for her, or his attraction to her? "I-I am sorry. I did not intend to r-r-rape you- merely to g-get you over your shyness so you could help me. The mating urge is so strong, it is actually becoming painful." She sniffled and inwardly cursed her hormones, ashamed of how weak they had made her. "I assumed you would be willing to do so, since you were obviously attracted to me. Or did I misjudge that as well?"

Robin sighed and put away his staff, sitting down on the far side of her bed. "I AM attracted to you, Star, but this isn't the time. We're still in the early stage of dating, I'm not sure we're really ready for this yet. Besides that, there's the search to focus on- we can't afford to lose focus right now. If this is really becoming a problem, we can ask Cyborg to examine you and see if there's a medical solution."

"I-I do not wish that!" Starfire exclaimed. "Terran medicine is largely incompatible with Tameranian bodies, and Cyborg would have to turn the case over to specialists in what humans call xenobiology. I do not wish to be the subject of study by strangers- could we not try to remedy my condition ourselves?"

Robin sighed. "I get your concerns, Star, but there're still the problems I just talked about."

" I do not ask you to abandon the search for Beastboy, and I feel it would help me to focus. I have even secured Raven's permission, so you need not worry about hurting her." Starfire stated matter-of-factly. "As for the issue of closeness… I feel as close to you now as I imagine it is possible to be. I am more than willing to take the next step and join with you physically. Only you can judge whether you are ready or not. Please?"

Robin glanced over at her, and quickly turned away- his girlfriend's face was set in a heartbreaking pleading expression which he couldn't bear to look at for long. His gaze fell instead on a pink tube which lay against the far wall of the room, sporadically giving off a faint whirring noise. He recognized it as one of the sex toys Starfire had received that January, during the Titans belated Christmas Morning. He could still remember that stupid card- "Because Robin is still just a BOY wonder. These should help you until he becomes a MAN".

Robin shook his head to clear it- this wasn't about whether or not some total stranger thought he was a man or not. He looked into his own heart and asked himself the key question: Was he really ready for this? He looked back at Starfire and smiled. Reaching out he pulled the alien girl in for a long, slow kiss before the pair fell back onto her bed.

A/N

Long huh? The next chapter is going to be a while for 2 reasons. First, I need to research some things. The second reason is trickier- I'm going to be addressing a rather touchy subject (some might even call it taboo) and I need extra time to ensure that I do so in a tasteful and proper manner.  
>As an aside, don't look for any steamy sex scenes- I tried it in an earlier version of this chapter, and the results were even worse than my fight scenes. What does THAT say about me?<br>What did we all think?


	11. Chapter 11

Cyborg and Batgirl stared transfixed as Starfire carried her boyfriend out of his bedroom and over to hers. Cyborg was particularly surprised- while he and Beastboy had often speculated on whether it would be Robin or Starfire who took the initiative, never had he pictured Starfire doing so in such a direct manner. She had actually been more than a little frightening, and he hoped that Robin would be okay. Raven, having been forewarned by Starfire's desperate pleading, was less surprised than her team mates. She took a moment to enjoy the stunned and disbelieving looks on their faces before coughing softly to gain their attention.

"Surprised are we?" she droned.

"Y-Yeah. I never thought Star would be that… y'know, forward." Cyborg said, scratching the organic side of his head. "Doesn't seem like her. I wonder if this is a result of her run-in with Scarecrow's gas? God only knows what that stuff'd do to her physiology. If it stimulated over-production of the right hormones, it could make her mating periods way more intense."

"Starfire's very strong. If her body's been affected it could be bad. She might lose control of her strength. Maybe hurt someone. Think we should help Tim?" Batgirl inquired hesitantly. Despite her dates with Beastboy the year before, the world of romance was still largely unknown to her (and the world of sexuality doubly so) and she wasn't sure if it was improper to ask.

Cyborg shook his head. "I don't think we need to worry- she seemed in control of herself when she hefted Rob over her head, and he was actively fighting against her then. I think that she'll keep it together once he's a bit more, ah, cooperative."

"On that note," Raven said, rising from her meditative position and picking up the jar of river water. "I think we should call it a night. What are you two going to do?"

"Probably bed." Cassie replied, as she began to put the mug shots together and return them to their proper place. "Big day tomorrow. Guessing Starfire won't be in the mood to patrol. I'll take her morning shift. Meet you at seven, Raven."

"Guess I'll play some games before bed." Cyborg said, opening the door and heading out. Raven, who had to return the jar to its place on Beastboy's top shelf. There was no way she wanted that in her room- even she had limits and a jar of what Cyborg called Death Water was well outside those limits.

When they reached the boys shared room, Raven levitated the jar back up on to the shelf while Cyborg sat down in front of the TV and flipped on the Gamestation. "Been a while since my partner's been here to play with me. Heh, I'm starting to feel a bit lonely playing all by myself." he commented, a hint of sorrow clear in his voice. "Don't suppose you'd care to join me, Raven?"

To his shock, Raven turned away from the door and sat down next to him, picking up the second controller without a word.

"What the-? Since when do you play videogames, girl?" Cyborg asked in amazement.

"Gar taught me to play a couple of his favorites, and you sound like you could use some company right now." Raven replied, cracking her knuckles to loosen up the joints before the game. "Put in Zombie Nightmare 3, please? It's the game I'm best at."

Cyborg shook his head in amazement as he complied, while Raven let her mind wander a bit. The first levels of the game were quite easy, and she allowed her memory to return to the day that Gar had chosen to educate her…

_"Beastboy, I said I don't want to play. I know you enjoy them, and I'm glad that you want to share that enjoyment with me. But even so…"_

_"Rae, I don't normally enjoy poetry readings. I know you enjoy them, and I was glad you wanted to share that enjoyment with me. But even so, when you asked me, I went and I didn't just fall asleep in my seat either. I gave the poetry a real chance because I knew you liked it. All I'm asking is that you do the same for me." Beastboy had said, infuriatingly smug in his logic._

_But it was true- he HAD gone to a poetry reading with her, and he'd paid real attention to the works being read out. When he'd spoken to the amateur poets after the show (Raven, being a regular at the club, had naturally been invited to take her boyfriend backstage), the questions he'd asked and the comments he'd made had shown that, even if they also showed that he hadn't totally understood what he'd been hearing._

_So it was that, one afternoon in early spring, Raven found herself seated on the floor of the Common Room, awkwardly holding a controller while Beastboy shuffled through the game collection. The others were out of the Tower for the day- Robin and Starfire were on a date while Cyborg and Batgirl were on patrol. Finally, Beastboy settled on Zombie Nightmare 3 and the game began._

_Raven's character soon died, walking directly into a horde of zombies without even attempting to fight back. She quickly turned to her boyfriend, anxious that he not think she was just trying to get out of playing. "Garfield, I swear that was not deliberate."_

_"Oh, I know that, Rae. You haven't learned the controls yet." Beastboy purred, slipping around so that he was seated behind her. He pulled her back against his chest, with one leg on either side of her, and Raven blushed slightly when she felt her rear against his crotch. He reached out and put his hands on top of hers, keeping them on the controller. As always, Raven was amazed at how warm his hands felt even through his gloves. His head was right beside her ear when he whispered "Let's try again."_

_The game restarted and this time, guided by her boyfriend's hands, Raven did much better – so much so that after a few rounds, Beastboy released her hands and moved away. At first Raven thought that the whole thing had been an excuse to get close to her- and one that she had to admit she had thoroughly enjoyed. But then the green boy had picked up the second controller and resumed play, this time in co-op mode. Raven was surprised to find that she actually enjoyed the experience. Granted the game itself was fairly mindless, but the play was so basic that it was almost meditative- she could lose herself in the repetitive and thoughtless activity as easily as she could in the lotus position. Plus, every time they beat a level, Beastboy would get so excited that he would kiss her, a definite bonus in her mind._

_After a few levels (and a few kisses), he'd lost interest in the game, preferring to focus on making out with his girlfriend. A decision Raven heartily approved of. _

"Yo, Raven! Get your head in the game!" Cyborg called, snapping her back to the present. "We barely beat that last boss!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry." Raven shook her head, returning her focus to the game. The easy levels were over now, and the game proper was beginning.

Two hours later, Raven decided she'd played long enough. Standing up, she stretched her back before wishing Cyborg a good night. On her way to the door, though, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks for playing, Rae. I know it's not your thing, even if you can play- it means a lot to me that you kept me company tonight" Cyborg said.

"It was nothing" Raven replied with a nod. "If playing videogames every now and then helps you feel better than I'm happy to help."

Cyborg watched the door slide shut behind her and let out a sigh. It had been nice to play with someone else for a change- Robin wasn't good enough to really qualify and Starfire didn't quite get the idea of simulated combat as recreation. Cassie had the potential to be an excellent gaming partner- fast reflexes and good focus- but she scorned video games, claiming the combat was so unrealistic as to disgust her. It was good that he'd found someone, but it made him miss his buddy even more.

The metal man sighed again before plugging himself into his recharge station for the night.

* * *

><p>Otto von Furth raced through the dark corridor, desperately looking for a way to escape. He had no idea how long he'd been trapped here, or how many miles (or dozens of miles!) of corridor he'd passed through. At first he'd assumed that he was still dreaming, that the dark corridors and silent halls were merely creations of his own subconscious. But when he tried to will himself out, to change the scenery to something more pleasant than a gray hallway lined with featureless doors and dotted with signs… he found that he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried to wish himself out, Otto remained trapped here… wherever here was. He'd come to the conclusion that, impossible as it seemed, he was no longer dreaming- somehow he'd managed to reenter the waking world without transforming into the monstrous Plasmus.<p>

He'd been overjoyed. A chance to see his family again! To speak to real people! But then he'd tried to leave the building he found himself in. Every door opened on identical small rooms, lined with old-style metal filing cabinets. No matter how far he went the corridor never ended or came to an exit, and the twists and turns made it difficult to make a mental plan of the place. Worse, the corridor never changed, making it impossible to tell if he was actually making progress or just going in circles.

He'd begun feeling frustrated, but frustration soon gave way to another feeling. The entire complex (surely it was too big to be an ordinary building) was empty of people, and his own footsteps echoed loud and long. Soon, he felt unease stirring in his mind, changing slowly into dread. Sometimes he was sure that he could hear another set of footsteps behind his, that someone (or perhaps something) was following him. The sound stopped when he did, and he was never able to be truly certain if he was alone here or not.

The uncertainty made things worse of course, for the human brain finds nothing so frightening as the unknown. Otto began to walk faster through the corridor, straining his hearing as he listened for the other set of footsteps. Soon he was running, pausing every so often to catch his breath - years spent asleep did not make for a healthy or strong body.

He passed by a sign, identical in every way to all of the others that he'd seen throughout this complex. The same four words, printed in black against a white background: Jump City Municipal Archives. He could READ the words but they made no sense. This could not be the Municipal Archives, it was simply far too huge! Whatever the words meant, though, Otto knew one thing: He had to get out of here NOW.

(Outside the glass sleep-chamber which housed Otto, a small device beeped once. It had been installed in the last 'upgrade' and was now reaching the end of the first stage of it's program. Phase two would begin soon...)

* * *

><p>Tim awoke with the sound of singing in his ears. He turned his head slightly to see Starfire lying next to him, singing softly in Tameranian. Her hair was a wild tangle, and the early morning sunlight played across her bare skin. He smiled- so it hadn't been a dream then. He tried to stretch, then winced and rubbed the sore spot on the side of his neck. Unsurprisingly, he found hickeys and bite marks all over his upper body- Tameranian sex was VERY intense and passionate, bordering on violent. His body was sore, but in a good way. He felt better and sharper than he had in weeks, his mind filled with ideas. It had always been this way with him- sex seemed to fill him with energy and inspire his mind.<p>

"Good morning, my love" the alien girl whispered, leaning forward to kiss him quickly. "I feel so very much better."

Robin laughed, the first real laughter he'd had in a long time. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Star. I did my best."

"Oh, I enjoyed it greatly!" Starfire said seriously. "In truth, I have not enjoyed a mating so much since my very first, so many years ago."

"Many years ago?" Tim asked, feeling a little confused. "How old were you for your first time?"

"Oh, I was quite old by my people's standards for it is customary among the nobility to wait an extra year for the parents to arrange their child's Ceremony Of Adolescence. I believe I was…" Here Starfire paused to calculate mentally. "I believe I was thirteen Terran years old."

"Thirteen?!" Robin sat bolt upright in bed. "You were THIRTEEN when your parents made you sleep with some guy?!"

"Oh no! No! No!" Starfire exclaimed. "I was not forced! In truth, all of my friends had undergone the ceremony the year before, and I was most impatient for my own, although I was also a bit nervous. Nor was it merely 'some guy'- my mother and father were most careful in selecting my first partner. They chose a member of the garden staff, a young man of twenty Terran years who I knew already. He was skillful and most gentle with me- I enjoyed him very much. But I think I enjoyed this even more."

"Your- Wait. Wait." Robin held up a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he struggled to assimilate all this. "Your parents chose your first lover for you?"

"Of course." Starfire said, puzzlement clear in her voice. "Was it not the same for you? Did not the Batman allow the Spoiler to join his team so she could be your lover?"

Robin took a moment to answer this. His first instinct was to yell that no, Stephanie had been admitted to the Bat-team on her own merits. But he forced himself to remember that Starfire's culture was… well, alien and that it colored the way she saw things, just as his own culture did for him. "No, Star. She was my girlfriend before she joined the team. Here on Earth it isn't usual for parents to choose their children's lovers- well, not in my culture anyway."

"Nor is it usually true on Tameran" Starfire replied "It is only for the first time, for the Ceremony of Adolescence, that the parents choose the partner. Afterwards, the child is free to mate as they please."

"So what does this ceremony entail?" Robin said, settling back down on the mattress. This was something he'd have to face sooner or later, now that he knew about it- if he found out that someone had hurt Starfire, or pushed her to do something she didn't want… Cultural differences or not, he'd find some way to make those responsible suffer.

"I shall be glad to tell you. I have already told you of my partner, S'lant'ro the gardener" Starfire began, reaching out to gently stroke Tim's hair. "My parents selected him, then they prepared my bedchamber for the ceremony: lighting the candles, setting up the shrine to X'hal in Her aspect as the Life-Giver, preparing the post-coital feast and so on. When all was ready my father lead me to the chamber and formally gave me into the care of S'lant'ro. We began with a prayer to X'hal to bless me, to enlighten me, and to grant me a life of honor and pleasure in equal measure after which my father and mother took their leave. Then, while we made love, my parents stood outside the door to the bedchamber, singing the song of Welcoming to Maturity. That was the first time I ever heard my mother sing, and also the last."

A tear formed in the alien girl's green eye as she remembered the happier times, and the sadder times which followed. "It was not long after that that the war with the Gordanians began anew. The Ceremony of Adolescence remains one of the last peaceful memories I have from Tameran."

Robin frowned- he still wasn't sure what to make of the story. On the one hand, it seemed Starfire was genuinely happy with how things had gone, and hadn't been hurt by it in any way. On the other hand, every instinct he had- as a crimefighter and as a boyfriend- told him that encouraging a thirteen year old to have sex was wrong.

_'Then, again'_ he mused_ 'Starfire's an alien. It isn't right to judge her culture by the standards of ours. If she's happy with it, I should just let it go. Not much I can do about it anyway.'_

"Well, I'm glad I lived up to that." He said eventually.

"Oh, you did!" Starfire assured him, before biting her lip. "Although…there was one aspect of your performance which I must question. Why were you so obsessed with my grebnaks?"

"Your… what?" Tim asked, feeling stupid. Had he done something wrong?

In response, Starfire cupped her breasts with both hands, her bright red nipples naturally drawing his eye. Robin felt himself stirring, but forced himself to pay attention to what his girlfriend said. "My grebnaks. You spent a great deal of time kissing them, squeezing them and doing other things with them. I merely wish to know why. Is this some Terran pre-mating ritual? Perhaps it is meant to ensure that I am properly suited to nursing young?"

"Uh, no Star. It's supposed to be foreplay- something done to give you pleasure" Tim answered, blushing a bit and feeling silly for doing so. They'd just spent the whole night having sex, why would an innocent question make him blush?

"Pleasure?" Starfire repeated, her brow wrinkling in that puzzled expression Tim always found adorable. "How can it give me pleasure? My grebnaks are merely sacks of fat connected to lactation glands- they serve no purpose at all until I give birth. They have few nerve receptors, and little sensation. Is it not the same for human females?"

"Not really, Star. A lot of girls like it when guys pay attention to their, uh, grebnaks in bed. It's a nice way to stimulate your lover." Tim replied, remembering that Stephanie had always loved it when he'd played with her breasts. He shook his head to dispel the thought. He'd been wrong to assume that Starfire would enjoy the same things a human girl would. "Is there anything like that in Tameranian mating?"

Starfire was silent for a moment before she answered. "The larvax'nu are often used for similar purposes, but only between couples which are truly, TRULY in love. Never in casual mating."

"I see." Robin said, a faint teasing smile tugging at his lips. "Do I qualify? At least enough for you to tell me what they are? Or am I just a casual fling?"

"Oh, of course you are not!" Starfire hurried to assure him, her own cheeks reddening. "Forgive me for not saying so before! Larvax'nu are the spots which rest above my eyes. During my mating period, they swell with blood and becoming extremely sensitive. I- I have never had them touched by another, but when I pleasure myself I find it delightful to stroke them."

"Stroke them huh?" Tim reached out a hand towards Starfire's face and lightly brushed a finger across the spots. The alien girl shuddered and let out a soft moan before pulling away.

"Please, do not do that now." She said, her voice husky and wavering. "It is morning and we are due to recommence the search soon. If you stimulate my larvax'nu now, I fear we shall be late."

Robin glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. A gift from Beastboy, it was shaped like a blue smiling cat whose tail acted as a pendulum. It read that it was a quarter past six- he usually rose at six thirty and did some light exercises before meeting the team at seven for breakfast and training proper. That was his routine, and had been for years. He looked back at Starfire and smiled before leaning forward to gently kiss the red spot over her left eye. Starfire let out another low moan in response and lowered herself back onto the mattress.

"I'll make time." He murmured "It won't hurt either the others to wait a little."

* * *

><p>Otto was no longer afraid. Fear had been replaced by anger.<p>

Whoever it was that had brought him here to the Municipal Archives (there was no question in his mind that that was where he was) was playing with him. They followed him from a distance, just far enough away to keep him from finding them and just close enough that he could hear their footsteps and breathing. He could even hear a soft laughter, echoing sporadically through the hallway. They were LAUGHING at him!

He'd grown to hate this place- with it's dank corridors, pointless rooms and stupid STUPID signs! What was the POINT of putting up a sign that said Jump City Municipal Archives INSIDE OF the Jump City Municipal Archives? Anyone who could read it already knew where they were, and if they didn't then they had much bigger problems than that!

How he wished he could destroy this place- wipe it from the face of the earth! For the first time since his accident, he YEARNED to become Plasmous. To destroy this place and punish the people who'd built it!

(The device attached to Otto's dream machine emitted another soft chirp. Monitoring Otto's pulse and brain chemistry, the device judged that Otto was sufficiently enraged to begin phase three. It emitted a high-pitched screech far beyond human hearing, as the first small cracks appeared in the containment tube)

* * *

><p>An hour later, Robin finally entered the kitchen. He found Raven, Batgirl and Cyborg already eating breakfast, though Cyborg paused when he noticed the Boy Wonder.<p>

"Well, look who's finally here." The metal man said with a smile.

"You know what they say" Robin replied, going to the fridge to get himself something to eat. "The best things are worth waiting for."

"Mmmm, I'll just bet they were." Cyborg laughed "I hope you two used protection, at least? I don't think we need a bunch of little rugrats running around the Tower just yet."

Now it was Robin's turn to laugh as he poured himself some cereal. "Cy,my girlfriend is an ALIEN. I have a better chance of impregnating a starfish than I do Starfire!"

"Maybe, but I doubt you'd enjoy it as much." Cyborg returned. "Leastways, I hope not!"

As the boys laughed, Starfire came into the room. The alien girl was floating more than a foot off the ground, and her smile was so wide Raven thought the top of her head might come off. Settling next to Raven, Starfire enveloped her friend in a hug.

"I thank you greatly for allowing me last night, friend Raven" Starfire said softly. "It was exactly what I was needing!"

"I'm glad to hear that last night proved satisfactory." Raven droned, sipping from her tea. "Please never share the details with me."

"Me neither." Cassie put in quickly, seeing Starfire glance in her direction. "Tim's like a brother. Don't want to hear about his love-life."

Stafire laughed and nodded. "Fear not. I know how awkward humans can be about matters of sex- I shall keep such things to myself. Though I assure you it will not be easy!"

After breakfast, Robin assembled the team in the meeting room. "Guys, I came to a realization. We've been going about this all wrong." He began "We've been looking for clues from a case that's months old. That was never likely to work, but we did it because we couldn't think of anything better. Well, I've had an idea- what if we narrowed the field a little? What if we assembled all the facts we had and used them to create a composite of the SORT of person who could pull off Beastboy's abduction?"

"Are you talking about making a profile?" Cyborg asked. "Because we already know roughly what Strohmann looks like."

"I mean more than that." Robin answered, shaking his head as he tried to put his idea into words. "Let me give you an example. Strohmann was able to fool the nurses and the doctor's at the hospital without any apparent trouble. He also knew what to wear to foil facial recognition programs- I can't believed that his long hair AND sunglasses were both coincidences. That tells me that he's an experienced liar and impersonator- if he has a police record, it'll probably be as a con artist, most likely a repeat offender."

"So we narrow our search." Batgirl said, stroking her chin in thought. "Makes sense. Also cuts down possible suspects to a few hundred."

"Right, and we can expand our search to ALL of California's police records. We couldn't do that before because it would have meant to many suspects, but with this information we can cut down the field drastically. And that's just off the top of my head. If we put our heads together I'm sure we'll be able to think of plenty of other things to help us find this guy." Robin said, enthusiasm in his voice. "That's my point- by creating a complete profile of who this guy is LIKELY to be, and what resources he'd need to have, we can make our job that much easier."

"That sounds good" Raven said "So, how do we do that?"

"Batgirl and I have the most experience in this sort of thing- we're going to spend today reviewing everything we know or can deduce about Strohmann. Then we'll compile that information into as coherent a profile as we can manage." The Boy Wonder turned to his mechanical friend. " Cyborg, I want you to draw up a list of the technical things someone would need to abduct and contain Beastboy against his will- drugs, cages, what have you. Then I want you to see how much of that stuff is traceable. I also want you to see if you can make some kind of echo-locator for the T-Car- something that'd allow us to check for hidden underground chambers while we patrol."

"Yeah, I think I can do that- maybe link it to the city's plans. That'd filter out known basements and subways and let us see who's been doing some illegal renovations." Cyborg said, considering. "You think whoever's got BB is keeping him underground?"

"It'd make sense." Robin replied with a shrug. "It's much harder to keep a prisoner secure in areas no one else knows exists. Plus, a lot of abductors favor underground holding areas- it's some kind of psychological thing, I think. Obviously, we can't search every basement in town but if we find a large underground space where the city has no record of any, that'd seem like a good place to search."

"What about us?" Raven asked. "Neither Starfire nor myself have much to contribute to this. Should we just keep on patrolling as we have?"

"Yes and no." Robin said "Until Cyborg gets that sonic echolocator up and running, I need to ask you two to keep doing most of the patrols. But I want you to co-ordinate with the JCPD more. We need to get a handle on this new crime wave as soon as possible, so it doesn't get any worse. I'll set up a meeting for you with Commissioner Whyte today- he can tell you what parts of the city the police feel are most at risk. If there's nothing else, I'm going to go make a call to the head of the state police and formally request access to their records."

As the meeting broke up Raven beckoned Starfire close. "I don't know what exactly you did to Robin to give him so much energy and inspiration." she said quietly "What's more, I don't want to know. But would you mind repeating it as often as you can until we find Garfield?"

Starfire gave her friend a proud smile. "I shall do my very best."

Raven was about to respond when the Tower's alarm went off. The girls quickly made their way to the Common Room, where Robin was already checking the situation on the Titans computer.

"All plans are on hold for right now." He said grimly. "Plasmus just escaped from his cell and he's heading for downtown."

A/N

The sensitive issue I mentioned last time was how old Starfire was for her first time. I want to be very clear on this: I am in no way claiming that it's a good idea for twelve and thirteen year olds to be having sex, nor am I attempting to sexualize them. I considered skipping the whole issue entirely, but decided against it- it really does underline the essential alien nature of Tameranian culture, I think. So if you're offended, just remind yourself that aliens would act and think differently- then go outside because you're getting offended over the sex lives of fictional characters.

Given that Tameranians are portrayed as passionate and open (in both the comics and the show) it struck me as very unlikely that she was still a virgin. However, this lead to some problems. Starfire in the cartoon was around sixteen years old at most, and she had spent more than one year in Gordanian captivity. Thus, she must have left home at around fourteen and that means that if she had sex, it must have happened before that

The idea of eyebrows as an erogenous zone comes from P0st's These Black Eyes. It made sense to me that alien's would have different turn-ons than we do, so I borrowed the idea.

As for the name of Starfire's first lover… well, I think that S'lant'ro is a good name, particularly when matched with Koriand'r.

I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, and that the terrible Mayan Apocalypse left you and yours safe. See you all next year!

PS: Reviews make excellent belated Christmas presents.


	12. Chapter 12

Police forces regard even the most cooperative superheroes as something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they are a boon to city security and crime fighting, capable of taking on criminals and catastrophes far too dangerous for even the best-trained police officer. After all, no one on the Metropolis Police Force seriously believed they could stop, say, Brainiac or Doomsday or Darkseid without Superman's help.

But at the same time, the cooperation of a law-abiding hero (as opposed to lone vigilantes and crazed antiheroes) creates a number of problems for the police as well. For one thing, municipal leaders often feel that the hero's presence meant they could safely reduce the budget for public safety. After all, if the Flash or Captain Marvel are willing to take on the most dangerous criminals, then there's no real sense in spending millions every year to finance a SWAT team, is there? Likewise, when Superman can and will extinguish the most dangerous blaze with virtually no risk, city officials feel safe in trimming the budget for the fire department. Naturally the truth is that no superhero can be everywhere at once, and can only deal with so many crises in a day, so police officers and firefighters find themselves asked to do the same amount of work on a much smaller budget.

Furthermore, the police officers themselves often suffer. When the press tends to shower praise and adulation on some civilian in tights, while ignoring the work of yourself and your fellow officers, morale tends to suffer. Worse, officers often lose a great deal of self-esteem and motivation when they see a masked man charge into a situation they KNOW is too dangerous for them. The public comes to view the police as overpaid security guards, whose purpose is to stand around while the real crime fighters do the work. The best and brightest stop seeing police work as a good career choice, and so less desirable candidates have to be accepted to make up the loss.

As a result of all this, police officers in superhero-protected cities become markedly less effective. Underfunded and unappreciated, with cynicism and resignation sapping the will to improve, the force becomes increasingly dependant on 'outside help'- something that proves disastrous when the hero is unavailable. This had been the case for the JCPD for several years- until the appointment of Commissioner Whyte.

Before his arrival in Jump, the new commissioner had as the deputy chief of police in the midsized city of Modesto, California. The city had had its own (admittedly minor-league) super powered protector, Captain Victory, and had suffered the problems that come with such assistance. That is, until Captain Victory had been killed by a super villain and the police force once again found itself solely responsible for the safety of the city- a job they were no longer really qualified to do. The crime rate had spiked, and a massive public outcry followed. Despite this, for his sterling service record and his heroic efforts in dealing with the crisis, Jump City had sent their offer to the deputy chief.

Before he agreed to the position of Commissioner, Whyte had made it clear to the mayor and the city council that he was not prepared to live through that a second time. Therefore, before he began the job, he asked for (and received) to begin a process of intense training to bring each member of the JCPD up to code and to prepare the force for the day when they might have to tackle the problems they usually let the Titans handle.

At first, the men under his command chafed at the new orders. They saw no reason to break their backs preparing for a day that would never come- the Teen Titans were hardly the Justice League, to be called away on extended missions abroad. The press likewise voiced complaints over what they called lavish and unnecessary overspending "used by an insecure pencil-pusher to enhance his importance" (as one major daily put it).

The complaints vanished during the year that the Titans were forced to scatter in order to battle the Brain. In that time, the JCPD became the sole guardians of Jump City, and (after a few hiccoughs early on) they performed well. Even after the Titans returned, the officers voluntarily continued their training- they were proud of what they had accomplished and the city was proud of them. The press was full of praise for the heroic officers and far-sighted and prudent commander "who has always had our complete trust" (as that same major daily put it). Commissioner Whyte promised the citizens that the JCPD would remain ready for anything or anyone that might threaten their fair city.

He proved to be as good as his word (or nearly- no police force ANYWHERE could handle the Joker). When the Titans went on their trip to Tokyo, and during subsequent trips, the JCPD managed to step up and handle things on their own with good, if not spectacular, success rates. This particular instance proved to be no exception.

The JCPD had managed to keep Plasmus contained, using small rockets filled with liquid nitrogen. While they did no real damage to the monster's toxic chemical body, the grenades did cause it significant discomfort while allowing the officers to stay out of range. Like any beast, Plasmus had instinctively moved away from the source of its irritation, preventing it from escaping the Archives building. Aware that they had no way to actually bring the blob down, they erected barricades to prevent civilians from wandering in and focused on evacuating those workers who were inside.

When the T-Car arrived, then, the Titans found not a disorganized catastrophe filled with panicking civilians, but a well-organized evacuation and a contained disaster area. Robin smiled as he approached the Commissioner- this was going to make things so much easier. After a quick briefing on the situation, Robin turned back to his team and started giving orders.

"Okay, we all know the problems in attacking Plasmus normally…" He began, but stopped when he saw Batgirl raise a hand. Face palming, Robin went on. "Except for Batgirl who's had no experience with him and so needs have some things explained to her. Plasmus is basically an animate blob of jelly-like chemicals secreted by a man named Otto Von Furth who has no control over what it does. The chemicals make it very difficult to stop him- physical attacks do him no harm and physical restraints don't work. Normally, our best chance is to use explosive force to blast the chemical goop off him and knock out the man inside."

"But" Commissioner Whyte cut in as he walked over "Explosives aren't an option here. No Starbolts, no explosive discs, no sonic cannon. The archive building is already pretty badly damaged- a big enough boom could be enough to bring it down entirely and we still haven't completed the evacuation. So I need to ask you to find another way."

Robin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Of course you do. Why should today get easier? Okay, any other suggestions?"

Cyborg rubbed his metal chin. "I got one. Commissioner, how've you been keeping Tall Dark and Goopy contained 'til now?"

"Liquid Nitrogen impact grenades. I had to fight the City Council's budgeting committee tooth and nail to get 'em but I'm glad I did." The older man responded proudly. "Plasmus doesn't seem to like the cold. But as soon as one section of his slime freezes, it's covered and thawed by the rest. We can't really hurt him, but we can keep him at bay."

"They need to be primed before they can be used though, right?" Cyborg asked "To prevent accidental detonation?"

"Yes, there's a red button on the side of each grenade. Press that and it'll detonate on impact." The Commissioner confirmed, not sure where the young hero was going with this.

"And they've also got a timer function?" The commissioner merely nodded. "Cool. Heh- no pun intended. Gather 'round, kids- I got a plan." Cyborg beckoned the other Titans closer and began to divulge his scheme.

The team burst into the archive building, heading down the hallway towards Plasmus. The monster hadn't been hard to track- it had punched holes in the walls, tossed furniture out of it's path and smashed potted plants wherever it went. Finally, they reach the records storage room- an immense chamber which was ordinarily filled with filing cabinets and computers, which stored the various records and forms that formed the lifeblood of city governance. Now, however, the cabinets were ruined, and most of the computers had been reduced to smoking wrecks.

In the center of the room was Plasmus, angrily tossing things around. Without waiting for the others, Starfire and Raven went on the attack, striking the behemoth head-on with eyebeams and telekinetically-thrown bits of debris. Robin and Batgirl moved to flank, each circling around a different side and hurling batarangs and birdarangs. No one expected the attacks to do any real harm, Plasmus' gelatinous body simply absorbing the physical attacks or regenerating the damage caused by the eye lasers, but that wasn't their purpose. Their purpose was to keep Plasmus' attention on the attackers, and away from Cyborg.

Cyborg crouched motionless behind a pile of wreckage, totally oblivious to the battle. At his side sat a net bag filled with JCPD freeze grenades, all dormant. The entirety of his attention (not to mention all of his computational ability) was currently devoted to a specific calculation. His plan was a very risky one, and required that he use exactly the right amount of force when his turn to attack came. Too little, and the attack would have no effect- and he wouldn't get a second chance. Too much force, however, and he risked killing his target rather than merely incapacitating him.

Things went well for almost a minute, as Plasmus was slow to realize it was actually being attacked. Then it spent another minute trying to keep all of its enemies in sight at the same time, despite the fact that two of them were circling it in opposite directions. Eventually, however, the monster simply began spitting globs of its chemical body in all directions while simultaneously lashing out with its arms.

The Titans were able to dodge these attacks with the ease that comes from experience- all except for Batgirl, who had never faced Plasmus before. The masked girl had expected something like Clayface- a being of great strength and shapeshifting ability but little in the way of ranged attacks. Thus, the globs of goo caught her by surprise and though she dodged two, the third struck her with enough force to send her clear across the room. She struck the far wall with bone-shaking force, and was horrified to discover that she was stuck fast- suspended three feet off the floor by the purplish-red chemicals.

Starfire saw her friend's distress and looked to the others. Robin saw what she had in mind and gave her a small nod, before returning to the attack. Grateful for his permission, the Tamaranian flew to her friend's assistance. When she reached the wall where Batgirl was stuck, she double checked that the others did not require her aid before using her eyebeams to begin cutting away the goo that had her comrade trapped. After a moment, Batgirl fell away from the wall and began to check herself for injury- patting at her limbs and torso to be certain there were no dangerous wounds or broken bones.

"Are you well, friend?" Starfire asked. "The impact did not harm you?"

"Physically? Fine." Batgirl replied, a little more tersely than normal. "Mentally? Been better. No one told me he could do that." The masked girl wiped some of the sludge from her uniform and brought it to her face for a sniff. "EW! Smells like hot tar, sweat, and ammonia! How long 'til it fades?"

"Um, it does not. Cyborg has created chemicals to remove Plasmus'… leavings, but I fear they work only on metal." Starfire admitted "I fear that uniform must be disposed of upon our return to the Tower. I am sorry."

"Great." Batgirl growled as she got to her feet. "Don't have many of these. Just great. Come on. I need to take this out on someone."

Not long after, Cyborg completed his calculations. After a few seconds spent double-checking his work, he gave a single nod and cupped one hand to his mouth. "All right, y'all!" he hollered. "I'm ready! We only got one shot at this, so let's get it right."

He gave the others a moment to get clear and ready themselves before he began his part in the plan. Robin, Starfire and Batgirl all moved away from Plasmus and one another, forming a rough triangle around their opponent. At the same time, Raven pulled herself much further back, and sat down in the lotus position. Seeing his friends were in position, Cyborg began to put his plan into action.

Lifting the net bag in one metal arm, he began to swing it around in a loop parallel to his body, all the while counting the number of rotations it made. Once his count reached seven, he released the bag, sending it flying straight into Plasmus' gooey form. Driven by Cyborg's augmented strength, the payload was pushed deep into the monster's bulk until it came to rest less than a foot from the form of Otto von Furth. Cyborg allowed himself a smile- so far so good.

"All right- Raven, it's all up to you!" the metal man called, moving back behind the rubble.

Raven nodded, and shut her eyes. Concentrating, she sent streamers of black telekinetic energy across the room, and into the body of Plasmus. This was no easy feat- the sludge monster's entire body acted as its brain, and so was soaked in psychic energy. It was too diffuse and too unfocused to be used offensively but formed a strong barrier against her powers. This was the reason she had never used her powers against the beast directly- although she would have liked to be able to simply reach in and pull von Furth out of his alter-ego/captor, it simply wasn't possible while she was engaged in battle. Now, though, with the others keeping him occupied, she was free to force her way through. Grimacing a little with the effort, she wrapped the black streamers around the arming switches and activated the timer function. With that done, she released the power and sat back, gasping from the effort.

The mind of Plasmus (if the monster could truly be said to have a mind) was a very simple thing. It consisted, mostly, of pain and anger mixed with fragmented memories of its human persona. For the most part, its rampages were acts venting the subconscious rage Otto von Furth felt about his condition, and the world which had forced it onto him. In general, then, Plasmus did not waste a great deal of effort on thoughts beyond 'smash'.

This particular rampage was slightly different, as the gooey goliath was fixated on leveling the Jump City Municipal Archives, thanks to the subliminal suggestions implanted in Otto's dreams. Of course, the beast knew nothing of that- it only knew that this place was a BAD PLACE, that the things around it were BAD THINGS, and that it needed to destroy them. Then a familiar group of small figures had come- the BAD PEOPLE who always hurt it and put it back to sleep. Four of them had attacked it, but hadn't been able to hurt it. Then the fourth had thrown something, something that stuck deep in its chest. Plasmus was not worried. Nothing its enemies had done so far had hurt it, so it assumed that they could not do so.

That assumption was disproven a few seconds later, when the entirety of its torso froze solid. The monster only had a moment to stare open-mouthed at the chunk of ice that had once been its body before the spiky haired boy and the black-suited masked girl came leaping at it with their feet out. The two struck simultaneously, smashing open the ice and disrupting Plasmus' thoughts.

Otto von Furth gasped in a lungful of air and took in his surroundings. He was still in the Jump City Municipal Archives, only it was nowhere near as pristine as it had been in his dreams. Plainly, his alter-ego had been hard at work destroying the place. That was good. The Titans stood around him, clearly having just stopped him, and Robin moved forward to (presumably) knock him unconscious for his trip back to his dream machine. That was not good.

"Please" Otto wheezed, his vocal chords weak and raspy from prolonged disuse. "Y-You have to… to let me finish…"

Otto got no further before Robin popped a tiny gas bomb and sleeping gas filled his lungs.

A/N  
>First, let me apologize for my long absence and for this (fairly) short chapter. Stuffs been going on and I haven't had as much time to write as I'd like.<p>

Second, I want to address two points within the chapter itself. The first section, detailing the JCPD's reaction to the Titans, was the result of a lengthy pub-conversation between myself and some friends. We decided that, whatever benefits superheroes would have on a city, there would probably be some fairly serious side-effects for the police force.

The second point is a small detail but one that I feel needs explaining. I wrote above that Plasmus' entire body acts as its brain and that it forms a psychic barrier. Now, I want to be clear on this: To the best of my knowledge there is no evidence backing this claim- either in the show or in the comics. But it was my attempt to explain both how Plasmus' functions and why Raven never just yanked Otto out of Plasmus with her powers. I think it holds up, but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts.

Some of you have complained in the past that this story moves too slowly. That is going to change next chapter. Heh.


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, that was strange." Robin commented as he watched the now-human figure of Otto Von Furth collapse, asleep on the tiled floor.

"How so?" Batgirl asked, wiping he hands on her cape. "We fought. We won. What's strange about that?"

"That's not what I meant." Robin answered, pointing to the prone figure. "Every other time we've fought Plasmus, it was clear that Von Furth was as much a victim as anyone. He didn't have any control over Plasmus, and he certainly didn't want the monster to run around Jump City wrecking stuff. But this time it seems like he wanted just that- he was pleading with us to let him finish, after all."

"That IS kinda weird" Cyborg agreed, as he scanned the rubble nearby in an attempt to assess the damage. "Weirder still is how precise this was. I scanned Plasmus' trail outside in the hallway and there wasn't much devastation- it made some holes in the walls, and some plants got smashed but it really seems like Plasmus was just trying to get to this room as fast as possible. Then, when it got here it didn't just start smashing stuff left and right- it hit specific stuff."

"What do you mean, Cyborg? How can you be sure of the order it went in?" Batgirl asked, feeling a little confused by her teammate's apparent omniscience.

In reply the metal man tapped his robotic eye. "I can use my cybernetic eye to analyze the chemical trail Jello-boy leaves wherever he goes. The chemical changes after being separated from Plasmus' body, and I can track those changes to see which samples are fresh and which are older. With that info, I can guess at where it went and when. After reaching this room, Plasmus' immediately headed for the file cabinets on the far left of the room. Then, it went after the computers- but seemed to lose interest after wrecking about three quarters of 'em. It had just started lashing out at random when we arrived."

"So we're agreed- something about this whole situation is off." Robin said to general agreement. "It's going to be really difficult to find out what's up, since we can't actually interrogate our suspect. Unless… " The Boy Wonder trailed off, before turning to Raven. "Raven, any chance you can read Von Furth's mind? Maybe find out directly from him just what the heck is going on?"

Raven shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Robin. The sleeping drugs you gave him will be making his mind more than a little chaotic- it'd be pretty close to impossible to find out anything for certain."

In response, Robin snapped his fingers disappointedly. "Shoot. Well, I guess it was long shot anyway. We'll have to rely on old-fashioned detective work. I'll talk to Commissioner Whyte and we'll see if we can't find out what was targeted- a lot of bureaucracies keep an index of their records separate from the records themselves. Cyborg, you and Raven talk to the Archive's employees- don't do in depth interviews or anything, just try to find out how Plasmus got in here and exactly what he did. Starfire and Batgirl will sweep the area for any clues we might have missed. We'll all meet at the T-Car in about an hour."

"I understand what you're saying, Robin, I really do." The Commissioner assured the young hero. Whyte was overseeing a group of officers who were securing the scene. "But you need to understand that at the moment the JCPD has other priorities besides finding out what Plasmus may have been up to- namely, dealing with the aftermath of his attack. Right now I've got a bunch of panicky bureaucrats, an angry mayor, and a lot of tired officers to deal with. I can tell my men to ask the witnesses if they saw anyone take anything, but beyond that there's nothing I can do right now."

Robin let out a sigh. "I understand. I guess it was a bit unrealistic. Just let me know if anyone reports anything unusual- I really want to get a handle on Plasmus' behavior."

"Um, excuse me? Sirs?" A young police officer interjected nervously. "I was part of the cordon detail, and I saw something. I-I don't know if it's important. While Plasmus was, um, doing whatever it was he was, uh, doing a woman ran by me carrying a briefcase stuffed with papers. She didn't head for any of the evacuee groups, which I thought was kind of strange. She just took off down the street."

A grating noise was briefly audible as Commissioner Whyte ground his teeth. Moving close to the young officer, he fought to maintain control- he couldn't blow up at the idiot now, he was still in public. Time enough for that later. "Is there a reason" he ground out "that I am only hearing about this NOW? Why didn't you report it?!"

"S-sir?" The terrified young officer squeaked. "I-I-I was t-told to watch the area and m-make sure no one tried to run inside. My orders didn't say anything about people running out. I didn't even get a very good look at her, since I was keeping my eyes on the building."

Robin winced at that and pointedly turned away from Commissioner Whyte, who was very obviously teetering on the brink of fury. After a moment, the Commissioner seemed to regain control, although a large vein in his forehead continued to throb.

"All right. What's done is done. Officer… Madding, is it? When we return to headquarters, you are to report to my office where we will have a nice, long chat about the value of personal judgement, initiative, and not being a damn fool. I promise you, it'll be very useful in your future with the Department… assuming that you have one." The Commissioner walked away from the now-deathly pale Officer Madding and looked back to Robin. "I'm sorry about this, Robin, normally we hold ourselves to a higher standard."

"I know you do, and don't be too hard on Officer Madding" Robin replied. "No one was hurt, and I doubt anything would have been different had he reported it earlier. He couldn't have left his post to chase down one possible looter, and you wouldn't have been able to get anyone else there in time. So, now will you be able to help me check on the records? I mean, we KNOW now that someone took something."

"Personally, I agree with you- it does seem likely that this was more than just some random looting." Whyte said in a tired voice. "Unfortunately, the reality of the situation hasn't changed- I just don't have the manpower to go through the city's records to look for what might be missing or to search the area for a mysterious woman whom we don't even have a description of. I can tell my men to ask the witnesses if they saw anyone else take anything, but beyond that there's nothing I can do right now. If I make this my top priority- and, barring any more disasters, I will- I should be able to move forward on a search in two or three days."

Robin was about to thank the older man for his time when an idea struck him. "Maybe we can't devote all the attention to the search that it deserves, but we can at least get started. If you send just one officer, he- or she- could start going through the computer records and comparing them to the surviving physical records. Then, when you DO have the time and resources to put a real search together, at least some of the job will be done. It strikes me that Officer Madding might benefit from a long, exacting and excruciatingly tedious assignment- don't you think?"

For the first time that day, Commissioner Whyte smiled.

After a few more minutes spent putting together a rough outline of what the unfortunate Officer Madding would be looking for, Robin returned to the T-Car. He found his fellow Titans clustered around the vehicle and ready to go home, except for Raven who stood to one side. "What's going on?" He asked the group.

"Well, we know how Plasmus got into the facility so easily." Cyborg replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the crime scene. "I spoke to one of the custodians who were on duty just before the attack. Seems he heard a rumbling sound coming from the basement, and got down there just in time to see Plasmus haul himself out of a drain- the slimy creep musta been traveling via the sewers. The custodian raised the alarm and started the evacuation- did everything he was supposed to do."

"Great!" Robin said with feeling. Despite their extensive experience with super villains and giant monsters, the citizens of Jump City couldn't always be relied on to follow procedure. Turning to Raven, the Boy Wonder asked "What's up, Raven? Not coming back with us?"

"I've decided to start my patrol now" the pale girl answered. "To be honest, going back to the Tower just to come back out seems foolish. Batgirl is going to change her uniform and then join me- we both feel that Starfire deserves a break. She'll start from the Tower, work her way through the city, and meet up with me around noon."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be patrolling alone, Raven." Robin replied, frowning a bit. "It's not that I doubt your abilities, but things have been a bit unusual lately. I'd feel better knowing you had backup. Also, Batgirl was supposed to help me create a profile of our kidnapper."

"You've always been much better at that sort of thing than me. I have experience, true. But so do the others. As for safety, Raven's not going looking for a fight." Batgirl said from her place by the T-Car. "Just going to make sure everyone can see her. After Plasmus' attack, the city needs to see the Titans patrolling. Make them feel better."

Raven nodded. "I'll stay in the air most of the time, and stick to the busiest parts of the city: the business district, the technology parks, and the harbor. I'll fly over the highway to get around, and I'll avoid the side streets. I'll report in every half-hour, and before investigating anything unusual. Will that make you feel better, Robin?"

"A bit." Robin admitted. "All right, we'll do things that way. Where will you start? Town hall? The courthouse? The stock exchange?"

At that point. Raven's stomach gave a loud rumble. "It seems that I'll be starting at the nearest café" Raven said, her voice and face as expressionless as ever. "I didn't get much breakfast and this morning has been very active. Oh, and Robin?"

She motioned the Boy Wonder to come closer. When he obeyed, she leaned in close to him. "I don't need to tell you how important finding Gar is to me. But I also recognize that Starfire's mating urges are quite strong, and that you're a healthy young man." She whispered. "So I'm going to tell you that I won't get mad if, during the course of the day, the two of you decide to take a little break together. Just so long as you keep your mind on the search the rest of the time."

Robin managed to grin and blush at the same time. "Thanks Raven." He said just as quietly. "I promise you, when we find Beastboy I'll try to be as understanding."

At that, the two broke apart and Robin headed back to the T-Car while Raven got ready to leave. "Remember what you promised." Robin called to her over his shoulder. "Report every half-hour and call in before you do ANYTHING that might be dangerous. Enjoy your breakfast!"

As her friends sped off towards the Tower, Raven slowly rose into the air. She had no intention of eating in this area- apart from the fact that it would be crawling with reporters, gawkers and fans, the restaurants in this part of town were ridiculously overpriced. Instead, she flew three blocks north and selected a small diner that Beastboy had taken her to several times- this was important, as it meant that her arrival caused less of a fuss than it would have in a place she'd never been seen in before. Sitting down at a booth in the back corner of the diner, she placed an order for a slice of pie and a cup of tea. As the waitress (a new one Raven didn't recognize) went to retrieve her order, Raven let her mind drift back to the first time she'd come here. It had been just two weeks after the start of his ill-fated 'therapy'…

_"I said I was sorry, Rae!" Beastboy protested, as he and his girlfriend hurried towards the diner._

_"It doesn't matter how sorry you are" Raven replied, a hint of anger coloring her voice. "You still should have checked the weather report before you suggested a picnic for our date. I deal with enough disasters as a superhero, I don't enjoy more of them during my free time."_

_"Oh, c'mon it wasn't that bad! I mean, OK so the rain drenched our food and the wind blew the blanket into the park's fountain. So a passing truck splashed us with mud as we left the park…" Beastboy's voice trailed off as he heard the words coming from his mouth. When he spoke again, his voice was rueful. "You're right, it was that bad."_

_"Thank you." Raven said. "Where are we going anyway? Shouldn't we be flying back to the Tower?"_

_"Nuh-uh. I promised you a good lunch, and I always keep my promises." Beastboy stated proudly. Then, because he was basically an honest young man, he continued. "Well, y'know, apart from all those times I promised Rob I wouldn't goof around in training, or that I wouldn't tease him in public, or that I'd return his music. But those totally don't count, 'cause by now he doesn't really expect me to keep 'em anyway."_

_"Right." Raven replied, rolling her eyes under her hood. "I just hope this place we're going is close by, I'm getting drenched. Don't you dare make a pun about that."_

_Beastboy raised his hands in a placatory gesture. "Don't worry, Rae. We're here."_

_Without even glancing at the exterior of the building, Raven hurried through the door. It didn't matter to her what the place looked like just then, all that mattered was that it had a roof. As soon as she was out of the rain, Raven whipped off her cloak and began wringing it out as best she could- she reasoned that, in this weather, the entrance to the restaurant was going to be as wet as it was possible for a floor to be anyway, so a little more water wouldn't hurt it. That done, she looked around the place that Beastboy had taken her to._

_She was surprised. It seemed to be an ordinary diner, with décor straight out of the 1950s- white tabletops, red faux-leather booths, with a black-and-white tiled floor surrounding a chrome-and-white plastic counter. As she made her way further inside, a middle-aged waitress made her way over to them. She was short and wide, with horned-rim pink glasses and a warm smile._

_"Hey there, Beastboy." The woman said in a broad mid-western accent. "Seems like it's just been ages since we saw you here. You want the usual booth? We try to keep it empty for ya, donchaknow."_

_"It's only been two weeks, Myrtle!" Beastboy laughed, ushering Raven to an empty booth at the back of the diner._

_"Two weeks too long." Myrtle huffed. Turning she called out "Hey! Al! Our favorite cutie is back!"_

_There was a long pause before a slightly muffled voice called back "…What?!"_

_"I SAID!" Myrtle began before giving up "Oh, never mind- he can't hear me too well donchaknow. You kids take a seat and I'll be back soon with your menus."_

_As Myrtle stomped into the kitchen, Raven and Beastboy took their seats._

_"So, I'm guessing you come to this place pretty often." Raven said as they sat down._

_"Pretty much every time I'm on patrol- well, up until Rob stopped letting me go out on patrol alone." Beastboy said with just a hint of bitterness. "I know why he did it- it just sucks that I'm still not over… what happened."_

_"I have to admit, I never saw you as a diner kind of guy" Raven said, hoping to move the conversation away from gloomy topics. "I always thought of you as a fast-food patron."_

_"What? I'm all about diners! Or kiosks, or food carts, or stands… In every country I've ever been to, there's been one rule I've always found to be true: If you want real local cooking, go to a working-man's diner. Places like this aren't about trends or diets or tourism. They're about simple, local food. " Beastboy took a menu from Myrtle and opened it up. "Here in America, that means diners. I'm gonna have the vegetarian omelet with homefries. What about you, Rae?"_

_"I think the soup of the day. I need something to help warm me up." Raven said to the waitress. Beastboy waggled his eyebrows at that, but Raven chose to ignore him. "I'll have some cake for dessert, too. Thank you"_

_"Ignore her." Beastboy said, handing over their menus. "We'll both have the blueberry pie a la mode."_

_Raven stared at her boyfriend for a moment. Eventually, she spoke again in a low and dangerous tone. "It's a brave man that tries to speak for me, Gar. It's a stupid one that tells someone to ignore me."_

_If this display of pique frightened the green boy, no trace of it showed on his features. "Relax, Rae. The pie here is the best I've found in Jump City. Trust me, if you don't agree with me by the end of the meal... I'll, uh, give up videogames for a week!"_

_"Intriguing." Raven said with a raised eyebrow. "And if I do agree? What then?"_

_"Hmm…" Beastboy made a great show of considering this, confirming Raven's suspicion that he'd planned this 'impromptu' bet in advance. "If you agree it's delicious, the best pie you've ever had, then you have to go out dancing with me somewhere in BluZone Saturday night. That means ACTUALLY dancing, Rae, not just standing on the floor bobbing your head to the beat. It'll be good for you to really immerse yourself in the nightclub experience."_

_"Hm. I think you just want to see me shake it." Raven droned, nodding her thanks to Myrtle as the older woman brought her soup. "So, a week without videogames versus a night of mindless dancing? High stakes indeed. I look forward to my victory."_

Raven remembered never having been happier to lose, despite her tough talk- the pie here really WAS amazing, baked fresh twice a day using real fruit. She hadn't really enjoyed the night of dancing- loud music plus crowds did not a happy Raven make- but she'd duly kept her word and Beastboy had at least been happy.

She picked up her fork in anticipation as Myrtle brought her order to the table. The older woman gave Raven a sad look.

"Still no sign of Gar dear?" Was all she said as she set down the plate.

"Not yet." Raven confirmed.

"I'm real sorry, dear. We all miss the little fella too- not as much as you, but we do. He's always been a good friend to us- checked up on us after every monster attack, donchaknow, and always took the time to help out if he saw we needed help. I wish there was something we could do for him. Well, we're praying for his safety- me and Al both, which is something." Turning to the kitchen she called out. "Isn't that right, Al? We're praying every night for Gar to come back safe and sound, right?"

"…What?" A voice shouted back. Raven hid a small smile.

Finishing her meal (and leaving a generous tip despite Myrtle's objections), Raven flew off to resume her patrol. All seemed to be quiet in the port area- she did have to stop one mugging, but the would-be thief fainted dead away when she landed to stop him, which made things easier for her. After an hour or so, she turned north and headed towards the business district.

As she flew over a block of mid-level apartment buildings, she saw something out of the corner of one eye. Immediately, she came to a dead stop (the laws of inertia and motion apply differently to psionic flight) and gawped at the scene below her. Standing in the middle of a white-painted roof was a green boy. She was floating thirty feet above him, and so was unable to make out any fine detail on him, but he certainly resembled Beastboy.

Raven fought for control- her heart cried out to her to get down there as fast as possible, but her brain screamed that this was almost certainly a trap. She closed her eyes and let her empathic abilities focus on the boy below. It was hard to fixate on him- the apartments below held a LOT of people, even at this time of day, and that made it harder to focus on any one in particular- but he seemed to match the psychic impression she'd been studying on the jar of river water. It appeared that this was, in fact, Beastboy.

With a supreme effort of will, Raven activated her communicator to get in touch with Robin. She was somewhat surprised when it rang several times before being answered- the Boy Wonder always answered his communicator before the first ring was finished. She was very surprised to hear it Starfire's voice greeting her. She was almost shocked by the tone her friend's voice had. She sounded sultry, satisfied and more than a little proud.

"I am most sorry" the princess practically purred. "I fear that Robin is unable to answer the communicator at the present. In fact, he seems barely able to keep his eyes open or move. Oh! I am mistaken! It appears that one part of him is still full of energy! Well, dear Robin does so need to relax- I shall have to help him by tiring him further."

"Starfire, please put Tim on" Raven said, working to keep her calm. She still hadn't taken her eyes off the green figure below her. "It's very important."

A giggle came out of her communicator. "So is this, I assure you."

"Starfire" Raven ground out from between clenched teeth "I think I just found Gar. I REALLY want to go and see if it's really him. I can't do that until I've spoken to Robin. So, please, get your hormones under control and put him on the line right NOW."

There was a moment of silence before the slightly-sleepy voice of Robin came on. "What's going on, Raven? Star said something about you finding Beastboy?"

The empath gave a quick outline of her situation, including her location and a description of her surroundings. When she was finished, Robin spoke again.

"I have to say, this is just a little TOO perfect." He paused before continuing. "Raven, if I told you to wait there and not to approach until the rest of us arrived, what would you do?"

"I would probably ignore you" Raven admitted after a moments thought, a tad sheepishly. "I've waited so long and worried so much…"

Robin sighed. "I understand. Here's what I want you to do instead- circle the roof at least twice from the air, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be there with him. When you land, ask him questions- things that only the real Beastboy would know. Don't go anywhere with him, no matter what he says or does. Will you do that?"

"Yes." Raven said confidently, beginning to circle even as she spoke. "Anything else I should do?"

"Probably, but I can't think of anything right now. My mind's still kinda cloudy from my, uh, break." Robin admitted. "The rest of us should be there in thirty minutes or so- it'll take us some time to get ready and drive across town. Once we get there, we'll take him back to the Tower for some DNA and fingerprint tests. If it's the real Beastboy, well and good. If not, we'll at least have someone to interrogate for leads. Be careful, Raven. Robin out."

Raven forced herself to fly slowly around the building, scanning the rooftop for other people or hidden traps. It appeared to be empty, so she allowed herself to land. The green boy raced towards her, but stopped when she raised a glowing hand. Raven took a moment to really look at him.

The face was definitely Beastboy's, though of course that proved nothing. Same elfin ears, same joyful eyes, even the same fang poking out from his lips. He seemed a little taller, with a more muscular body too- his arms seemed larger, and his chest more defined. Most noticeable of all however, was his outfit- it had the same basic pattern of colors as his usual one. But where that was purple this one was red and where his old suit was black this one was white. It looked pretty good on him, to be honest, but Raven couldn't let herself get distracted.

"When the Titans East was established, Robin and Bumblebee set up a system of codes and made us all memorize it." Raven said without preamble. "What's the code word for 'Need assistance- come secretly'?"

"Uh, 'Nightingale', I think" The boy said after a moments thought. "Rae, what…"

"Shut up. You don't get to call me that until I'm sure you are who you seem to be." Raven growled. "What was the name of the restaurant we went to after your first freak-out following your return to the Tower?"

"The Galaxy Room." This time the answer came quickly and confidently. "You asked me out and set up the reservation, but I was the one who cussed out the maître d in French to get us our table."

"What prize did you win for me at the carnival the night Blackfire first arrived? What did I do with it?"

"I won you a stuffed chicken and you kept it in a bag under your bed. Whenever you felt sadder than usual, you used to take it out and squeeze it for a while."

"In your emotional landscape, how were Timidity, Knowledge and Happiness represented, and why?"

"Terra represented Timidity 'cause she'd always seemed like she wasn't sure of herself or her place in the world. Knowledge looked just like you 'cause you're the smartest person I know. Harley Quinn was Happy because that woman's manic."

"What was the name of the couple who run the diner with the city's best pie?" She had to work hard to keep her voice steady now. All his answers were perfect, and she was hard pressed to maintain her scepticism. She couldn't imagine an imposter having the information he'd shown so far- it was just too personal and random.

"Al and Myrtle, you mean? Oh geez, I haven't seen them in ages!" The boy seemed genuinely worried for a moment. "I hope they're okay. They're great people but sometimes they forget that they aren't as young as they used to be- and try to do way too much on their own."

"I saw them today; they're fine. I have one last thing to check" Raven swallowed. "Take off your gloves."

"What?" The green boy suddenly looked nervous, causing the empath's eyes to narrow suspiciously. "I mean, we're out in public Rae…ven."

"Do it." Raven said. This was it- the moment of truth.

Slowly, hesitantly, the green boy slipped off his gloves and presented his bare hands. Raven took one in her grip to examine it. The hand was just as green as the rest of him, with slightly pointed fingernails and a small tuft of hair on the back. It was also covered in hideous burn scars- a souvenir from one of Beastboy's first missions with the Doom Patrol. The team had been trailing a group of smugglers through Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle, when they'd come under attack. Among the weapons the smugglers used was an antique flamethrower which had ignited the underbrush where Beastboy was hiding. Although he'd managed to escape, his hands had been engulfed in fire and while they'd eventually healed, the scars had never gone away.

Beastboy hated looking at those scars. It wasn't just that he found them ugly (although he did) it was the memories they brought back. First was the pain and fear that accompanied the fire itself. Almost as bad were the memories that came afterwards. Mento and Elastigirl had been furious with him for letting himself get injured- he had never seen his adoptive parents that angry before, even though in hindsight it was clear that they were more worried than angry. It had lead to accusations that he was unfit to be a part of the team, and a decided cooling in the relationship between him and Mento. Beastboy wore gloves at all times not just to hide his scars but to help block the memories from his mind.

Satisfied, Raven released Beastboy's hand (She was sure it was him now). Beastboy slipped his gloves back on before turning back to her with a cheeky smile. "So, I guess you- HMMMPH!"

Raven flew into his embrace faster than she ever thought possible, pressing her lips to his own with almost enough force to bruise them. She breathed in through her nose, taking in the scent of him, a scent she'd missed for so very long. He always said it was like wet dog, but to her it was the scent of a lion- wild, savage and indescribably MALE. Around them, she could hear a metallic screeching as her powers twisted and warped the pipes on the roof. But she didn't care; she COULDN'T care- all that mattered in the world was the boy she was kissing.

After a long, long time the two reluctantly pulled apart. Beastboy panted before resuming his cheeky grin. "So, didya miss me, Rae? You're so composed and controlled that I really can't tell."

"Gar, I missed you so much." Raven replied, feeling hot tears leaking from her eyes (and hearing the sound of the rooftop cracking beneath them). "I'm sorry I wasn't the best, most affectionate girlfriend. I'm sorry for all the times I teased you, for the times I refused to laugh at your jokes."

"Hey, c'mon now" Beastboy said, kissing her on the cheek. "You've been a great girlfriend. I'm the one who needs to apologize."

Raven looked him in the eye, puzzlement on her face. "What in the world could you possibly have to apologize for?"

Beastboy gave a long sigh before he answered. "This."

Raven felt a sharp pain in her leg. She looked down to see a large hypodermic sticking out of her left thigh. She had just enough time for a look of betrayal to cross her face before unconsciousness claimed her.

A/N

Well.

That ought to get people talking.


	14. Chapter 14

When the Titans arrived at their destination, almost all of them were hard pressed to contain their excitement. Cyborg couldn't wait to see his best buddy again, while Starfire was joyful over the thought of happiness returning to the team. Cassie, too, was looking forward to seeing the green boy again- and to teasing Raven a bit over her 'lover boy' (a technical term related to her by Dick, and one which she admitted she didn't completely understand).

Robin was the one exception- the situation Raven described troubled him deeply. Why would Beastboy emerge now, of all times? What had happened to his captors? Had he escaped captivity- or had he been released for some unknown purpose? His instincts screamed that this was a trap, and he wished that he had ordered Raven to wait for the rest of the team before approaching. Only the knowledge that she would have ignored him prevented him from kicking himself any harder over that.

Eventually, they arrived at the address that Raven had given them earlier. It was a mid-size apartment building, seven stories tall, in a middle-class neighborhood. In and of itself, this wasn't troubling- Jump City had hundreds if not thousands of others just like it. Robin turned to his team.

"This whole situation is a tad suspicious to me" Robin said. "Beastboy's appearance is too sudden, and there are too many unanswered questions for us to just waltz up there. So I want to be careful. Cyborg and myself will go up there to meet Beastboy- Cyborg, as soon as possible I want you to do a physical scan and see if it's really him. Starfire, I want you to stay out here by the front door while Batgirl guards the rear entrance."

"Why?" Batgirl asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind. "This is an apartment building. The whole place could be filled with waiting enemies. No way to tell short of searching each room. Besides, it seems unlikely anyone would attack us. We're all together. All ready for a fight. I think it's better we stick together. Ready for a fight if needed."

"No, I want you down here" said Robin. "Cyborg and I should be enough to handle any dangers or traps we might find up there, and if we aren't both you and Starfire should be able to get to the roof in a matter of seconds if you need to. More importantly, I need you to keep this place contained- I don't want anyone getting out without us knowing about it. We don't have a warrant so I don't expect you to stop anyone, but if you see someone leaving, get a good look at them and try to engage them in conversation. I need you to find out who they are and where they're going. At the very least, get the license plates of any vehicles they might have."

Cassie gave a nod and silently slipped into an alleyway, headed for the rear of the building. Starfire took her position at the front door of the building, pausing briefly to give Robin a peck on the cheek. When he saw his team mates were in position, Robin lead Cyborg inside.

The first thing the two heroes noticed when they reached the rooftop was the damage. The surface of the roof was in terrible shape- large cracks and dents had been made in the concrete itself, while bits of broken fans and pipes lay scattered all over. The second thing they noticed was the smell. A harsh chemical stink, it pervaded the rooftop, and seemed unaffected by the mild breeze that blew wafted through the air. It made Cyborg wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"Ah, man!" the cybernetic teen exclaimed. "What IS that?"

Robin took a deep sniff and frowned, before pointing to the wet rooftop beneath their feet. "Bleach." He said simply. "I think a big part of the roof's been doused in it. That's not a good sign- neither's the fact that there's no Raven anywhere here. Add in the fact that this whole place is covered in cracks and debris, and you can see why I'm really getting worried for her. Activate the tracer in her communicator, would you?"

Cyborg nodded and tapped a series of buttons in his left forearm. Each of the Titans communicator badges were equipped with a powerful tracking device- an innovation Cyborg had introduced shortly after the capture of the Joker. If Raven were anywhere with a twenty square mile area, above ground or below, the signal would reach him and lead him to her. He soon had a fix on it, and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "According to my system, she should be on this roof" he said, and pointed to a nearby vent. "Right over there, as a matter of fact."

Slowly, carefully, the two teens made their way to the vent, all the time keeping an eye open for possible ambush. When they reached the vent, they found the communicator propped up against the side of the vent. Robin crouched and gently picked it up between two fingers, while he extracted a plastic evidence bag from his utility belt. Once the Raven's communicator was safely stored, he flipped on his own communicator.

"Robin to all Titans. Raven's gone, with only her communicator left behind." He said, his voice carefully kept free of the strong emotions he felt. He knew that the worst thing he could do at this point was to act impulsively due to emotion. He also needed to keep his team mates calm, and prevent anyone doing something rash. "Everyone stay at your posts- I want this place sealed, no one comes in or out. Cyborg and I are going to search the roof for clues, and then we'll work our way through the building. Starfire, I want you to contact the JCPD and tell Commissioner Whyte to get here as soon as he can. Do you understand?"

There was a pause, then Starfire's voice answered him. "I understand. Please keep me informed of your discoveries. And please be most careful, Robin. I do not wish for anything to happen to you. Starfire out."

After another moment, Batgirl's voice chimed in. "Understood and acknowledged. Batgirl out."

Snapping his communicator shut, Robin turned to Cyborg, his face grim. "Is there any use in checking for footprints or fingerprints? Or did the bleach eradicate all the clues?"

Cyborg's artificial eye glowed red as he examined the scene, before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, man. No easy clues this time- you're gonna have to EARN those Boy Detective points."

"Not the time for jokes, Cyborg." Robin said, a touch of anger seeping into his voice as he took another look at the rooftop. He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again his tone was calm and contemplative. "I don't think Raven struggled much- the bleach is concentrated mostly in one spot, with a little splashed around the area. If she'd fought, then they would have had to cover a larger area. Ditto if she'd been hit by a large group of attackers. That tells us she was taken by surprise and by one or two assailants at most. Probably that phony Beastboy she came down to check on."

"So, you figure all this rubble was just Raven's emotions getting outta hand?" Cyborg asked, sweeping an arm at the debris scattered across the rooftop. Large cracks in the concrete were evident, and pieces of shattered piping lay everywhere. The metal man let out a long whistle. "Raven's powers have gotten a lot stronger over the years. I remember when broken light bulbs were the worst we had to deal with."

"Yeah." Robin said, taking a moment to survey the damage himself. Shaking his head, the Boy Wonder got back to business. "I don't think there's anything else we can do here ourselves. We're going to go through this whole building, floor by floor, and question absolutely EVERYONE. Somebody here must have seen something. Did you ever get that enhanced-vision technology from Batman? The one that lets you see people even through walls?"

"Yeah, I did." Cyborg said, a tad uneasily. "But I dunno how legal it is to use that- I mean, isn't it a violation of privacy? We don't actually have a warrant."

"The Vigilante Act allows us to check out suspicious locations without a warrant, so long as no civilians are hurt or inconvenienced. Besides, I'm only going to ask you to use it in cases where no one is answering the door, to verify that they aren't there." Robin said. "Now, let's go. We've got a LONG search ahead of us."

A long search it was. For the next five hours, the two young men worked their way down to the ground floor. At each apartment they knocked on the door exactly three times. If someone answered, Robin would explain that the Titans were there investigating a disappearance and had they seen or heard anything suspicious in the building that day? In cases where there was no answer, Robin would loudly call out that this was the Teen Titans and that they were there on important business. If there was no answer he would then ask Cyborg to scan the apartment. In each case, it turned out that no one was home- a fact for which Cyborg was grateful, since he didn't want to know what Robin planned to do if someone was just refusing to come to the door.

Eventually, they reached the ground floor and found Starfire standing guard at the front entrance. In front of her was a long line of residents, visitors and deliverymen waiting for a chance to enter the building. At their approach Starfire turned to look at them, an extremely worried expression on her face.

"Robin! You have completed your search! Tell me you have found some trace of – of that we seek." She finished lamely, glancing at the line of civilians. Leaning close to her boyfriend, she whispered "I have not told them why they may not enter- only that we are investigating a crime. I did not wish to reveal our current weakness to the public."

"Hey!" called one man who was waiting in the line. "If you kids are done ransacking the place, how about letting us in huh? I got a delivery I gotta make!"

Starfire whirled around to fix the man with a glare. "Have I not said before that you shall be permitted entry in good time? Cease your complaining!"

"Easy, Star- don't let the situation get to you." Robin murmured. Stepping forward, he raised his voice to address the crowd. "Folks we're almost done here. I just have a few questions to ask you…"

While Robin questioned the crowd, Cyborg went outside to check on a hunch of his. Examining the nearby traffic lights, he was pleased to discover that all four had cameras mounted to catch traffic violations including one that had a good viewing angle on the entrance of the apartment building. Making a note of the lights locations, he reminded himself to get todays footage from the JCPD's traffic department as soon as possible- whoever had taken Raven had to have had some means of transporting her, and there was a good chance the cameras had caught something. Heading back, he found the crowd filing in the front door, kept orderly by the stern gaze of a Tameranian princess.

When the last person had entered, Starfire turned back to Robin. "What have you found? What has become of Raven?"

Robin sighed. "There wasn't much to be found on the roof. We know that Raven was taken without much fighting or struggle, and we know that there couldn't have been more than one assailant. Past that, we don't have very much. Some of the people on the top floor reported hearing a lot of noise but nobody saw anything. So, we don't have a lot to go on just yet. Has there been any word from Commissioner Whyte?"

"He apologizes most profusely, but he cannot come here at the present." Starfire said, her voice betraying her fallen spirits. "There have been numerous bomb threats all around the city today and his officers are simultaneously attempting to investigate all of the threats and determine a pattern behind them. He promises that he will be in contact as soon as he is able."

Robin frowned. "I should have expected that. Whoever's behind this has been remarkably well-prepared every step of the way- it really doesn't surprise me that they've found a way to keep the police from being in a position to help us."

"Which leaves us with one big question" Cyborg said "What do we do now?"

As if on cue a horrendous rumbling gurgle was heard coming from Starfire's midsection. The alien girl blushed hugely. "Eh heh." she said, rubbing her stomach(s) and smiling embarrassedly. "I am most sorry for that, but I have been standing here for a very long time and did not have the opportunity to consume lunch."

Robin sighed, but gave his girlfriend a small smile of his own. "All right, let's collect Cassie and head back to the tower. By the time we get there it should be about five o'clock, which is a little early for dinner but we've had a long day and it looks like it's going to be a longer night. I don't think any of us are in the mood to cook, so I guess we'll order a pizza. We'll eat, and then we'll plan our investigation."

Arriving back at the Tower, the Titans headed for the conference room to begin their planning session, with only a brief stop to order their supper. The pizza arrived after a half an hour, with Cyborg being selected to make the trek down the long corridor- which had once been part of the Jump City Aquarium- to meet the delivery boy over on the mainland. When he returned, bearing his bounty of hot cheesy goodness, he found his team mates just as he'd left them- frustrated.

The Titans had had little enough to go on before Raven's abduction, with few clues and even fewer ideas. Now, they were one more Titan down and no closer to their goal.

By eight o'clock, the planning session began to draw to a close. "Basically" Robin summarized "we have no choice but to continue with the search as planned, with the obvious change that we're now looking for Raven as well. Batgirl and I will work on coming up with a profile of 'doctor Strohmann' while Cyborg continues to work on tracing what he'd need to keep two superheroes confined."

"That might actually be easier now" Cyborg said, slurping the last of his soda. "Keeping BB under wraps is one thing but keeping him AND Raven prisoner's another. I mean, Psy-shielding isn't exactly cheap and anyone who wanted to keep Raven in a place she didn't want to be would need a LOT of it."

Robin gave a nod. "All right, start with that then. But I want you to devote some time to that echolocator we talked about earlier. It still seems probable that wherever they are, our team mates are being held underground- it just makes sense from a security perspective."

"What am I to do?" asked Starfire. "Shall I continue to patrol on my own?"

"Absolutely not." Robin said firmly. "Whoever is behind all this is obviously picking us off, and is willing to go to any lengths to achieve this goal. Raven's abduction showed that we're at our most vulnerable when we're alone, so from now on nobody leaves the Tower by themselves. I don't care what happens, if you go out you take someone with you and they don't leave your side until you get back."

"What about patrols? Normal to split up for that. Lets us cover more ground." Bat girl interjected.

"We'll have to change the way we patrol." Robin replied. "When I speak to Commissioner Whyte, I'll let him know we're going to be reducing our patrol schedule. From now on, each pair will do two sweeps of the city per day. The JCPD will just have to pick up the slack, at least until we've got some idea of who and what we're up against."

"He ain't gonna be too happy about that, but I guess we got no choice." Cyborg said with a sigh. "So, I guess we should all get…"

The metal man was cut off by the blaring of the Titans alarm system. Racing to the computer, Robin began searching for the cause of the disturbance. When he found it, he scowled. Sometimes, it was really REALLY hard being a hero.

"Overload is attacking the LexCorp research center. Titans" Robin let out a sigh. "…go."

A/N

I'm glad to see that people are so into this story. Really, it's great. But please understand that I can't update anymore frequently than I do- a combination of a busy life and occasional writers block mean that this is about as quickly as I can work. Badgering/threatening me to do more is not going to help matters. Thanks for understanding.

The Vigilante Act Robin mentions is basically my explanation for how superheroes can legally bust into warehouses and hideouts without stopping for a warrant. Given whats been in the news lately, I felt it needed some explanation.


	15. Chapter 15

Lexcorp had once been one of the most important companies in Jump City, with three large research facilities and several factories and warehouses operating within the industrial zone. However, Lex Luthor's period of overt super villainy had caused the corporation major problems, leading to the closure of most of its holdings- now, all that remained in Jump City was a single research lab dedicated to pharmaceutical research. Although the company's CEO had, officially, been cleared of any wrong-doing, no attempt had been made to reopen its other Jump City properties. Indeed, Lexcorp had actually decreased the budget for its remaining laboratory- while at the same time, keeping obligations and projects at the same level.

As a result, the Lexcorp Pharmaceutical Center was astonishingly poorly-secured for a research facility of its level. There were only a handful of ordinary guards, a basic alarm system and barely a dozen security cameras to monitor the entire complex. Thus, it was no surprise to Robin that thieves had targeted it. What DID cause him concern was the timing- it was hard to dismiss as coincidence the fact that the facility's first major break-in occurred the same day that another of his team mates was kidnapped. Once again, the Boy Wonder sensed a trap, as he was sure to tell the other Titans on their trip from the Tower.

"Remember" he said as they finally approached the long, three-story building that housed Lexcorp Pharmaceutical "We stick together- I don't want anyone making themselves a vulnerable target by haring off on their own."

Once inside, Cyborg activated his cybernetic eye's enhanced tracking system. Scanning their surrounding, he found two separate trails leading around the facility, one of which stayed on the ground floor while the other headed upstairs. Strangely, both trails were laid by individuals, meaning that as far as he could tell there were only two burglars here. When he informed Robin of this, the Boy Wonder paused to think for a moment

"All right, forget what I said earlier." Robin said. "We need to split up to ensure that we catch both intruders. Starfire and Cyborg will search the top floor, while Batgirl and I take the ground floor. If one group finds an intruder, they capture him and keep him secure. The other group will continue searching the third floor until they find the second thief. Be careful though- it's unusual for anyone to try something like this with just two people. That suggests two possibilities- either they're very sure of themselves or their really desperate for something. Whichever it turns out to be, it could be dangerous, so stay sharp."

Starfire chimed in, her face showing that she was uncomfortable. "Robin, should not I accompany you? If our quarry is so dangerous, would it not be wisest for each team to have one human and one superhuman?"

"I don't think so, Star. Cassie and I should be enough to handle any Super villain less powerful than Cinderblock, or to at least hold them until you two can come to help." Robin said, then hesitated before continuing. "I also know that you're still… excitable right now and I don't think being alone with me, even under these circumstance, would be great for your concentration. I know you'd work to keep it under control- you're too much of a professional not too- but I really do need you at one hundred percent for this, totally focused and ready for anything."

Starfire wanted to be angry. She wanted to be insulted. She wanted to vehemently declare that, whatever her hormones might or might not be doing, she was no less a hero and fully capable of keeping her mind on the search. She wanted to do these things, but she could not. In all honesty, although her bout of mating with Robin had at least stopped her mating urges being physically painful, it had not done much more than that. Even now, in the midst of a crisis the likes of which the Titans had rarely seen, she found her attention constantly drawn to her boyfriend-turned-mating partner. Her eyes watched the way his muscles moved under his so-tight uniform, her ears strained to hear his heart beating, and her nose was filled with his scent. If they were alone together, she knew her attention would be fully fixated upon him. With a sigh, she nodded her agreement to Robin's plan and moved to stand beside Cyborg.

"All right" Robin said, relieved to have that thorny issue settled. "Let's move out."

"C'mon, Star" Cyborg said, waving a hand at the stairs. "Let's head on up. According to the city's records, the second story of this building is administrative. We'll start with the big offices- that's usually where the safes and secret documents are kept. Rob, you should know that most of the labs and drug storage facilities are down on this level- the third floor is mostly meeting rooms and server space."

"Hm. In most cases, I'd suggest starting with the drug stores." Robin told Batgirl, as the other two quietly ascended the stairs. "But I have the feeling this is a lot more than just some addict looking to feed an addiction, or low-life thugs looking for something to steal. Let's head to the labs."

The first lab they came to seemed, at first glance, to be untouched. Batgirl pointed this out- the cupboards were closed, the glassware on the counters undisturbed, even the chalk dust on the floor was exactly the way the lab techs had left it a few hours before. But Robin shook his head, and slowly began to walk around the room.

"Here." He said, tapping a spot on one counter. "The wood here has a slight ring, the kind that could be caused by a wet beaker or bottle resting on the counter. Look, it's even still damp. Someone took it, and not too long ago."

The Boy Wonder moved to a glass cabinet, which bore a large sticker that announced that the cabinet was locked and that any unauthorized attempt to open it would cause an alarm to sound. With a flick of one gloved hand, he swung the door open silently. "I could tell this had been tampered with. Normally, labs keep their materials in a strict order but some of these are crooked or out of alphabetical order. No lab worker or custodian would make that mistake- our intruder took something and tried to cover his tracks."

Behind her mask, Batgirl grimaced. "Shouldn't have missed that. Need to do more observation drills."

Robin patted her shoulder as she moved beside him. "You're in an emotional tizzy right now, we all are. I'm forcing myself to look at everything three times, otherwise I would have missed it too."

"No excuse. Crime doesn't wait for you to center yourself. Always need to be ready." Batgirl said. "Remind me when we get back. Double observation drills."

Robin shrugged. He certainly wasn't going to argue when a team mate wanted to improve themselves, especially not when it was an area they were somewhat weak in.

Crouching down, the two heroes began to sort through the cabinet for some clue as to what had been taken; comparing what was there to the inventory list pasted to the side of the cabinet. Eventually, they concluded that very little was actually missing- a large box of painkillers, some sleeping aids, and a few basic chemicals. Hardly the sort of thing the average criminal would take an interest in, particularly with all the expensive lab equipment and chemicals they'd left behind. This only increased the vigilantes' sense of unease, and the pair made their way cautiously to the drug stores.

As might be expected in a pharmaceutical lab, the drug stores was probably the most secure area in the whole building. This was because the items contained within were the most valuable and dangerous items in the building. Inside were kept experimental medicines, potentially narcotic drugs, and various experiments judged too valuable (or too volatile) to be stored normally. Most labs relied on high-tech surveillance, electronic doors, numerous cameras and armed guards to keep their storage area safe, but the Lexcorp lab was forced by budget cuts to make do with a low-tech alternative. It was, essentially, an enormous safe- easily equal in size to a large bank vault. It featured a large glass window (made of bullet-proof and shatter-resistant glass) to allow the staff to monitor the inside, a foot-thick steel door, and a simple mechanical lock. Although costly, it was a one-time expense and did not require the expensive upkeep of other, more modern methods.

It was also generally kept shut.

So, when Robin and Batgirl found the door to the storage area standing wide open, they knew to proceed cautiously. Using hand signals, the Boy Wonder instructed his partner to proceed ahead into the safe, taking care to scan the whole thing to ensure that there were no intruders hiding inside. He, meanwhile, would stand watch at the doorway to the vault, to prevent any one from escaping or from sneaking up from behind. The silent girl nodded, and slowly made her way inside.

A quiet creak was the only warning Robin received, but it was the only one he needed. Years of training came to his aid, causing him to unthinkingly leap to the side, just barely avoiding being hit by the swiftly closing vault door. Inside, Batgirl whirled around just in time to see the door close and lock behind her- leaving her trapped in an airtight safe.

Robin turned quickly to look at where the open door had been. He saw a green boy not much younger than himself sitting sprawled on the floor with a sheepish and embarrassed look on his face. His costume was similar to Beastboy's, but red where that old suit was black and white where that was purple. Beside him was a leather satchel, presumably filled with stolen drugs and chemicals. His small smile showed one sharp fang. "Well," he said "That coulda gone better, huh?"

In a single smooth motion, Robin grabbed his bo-staff from his belt, extended it, and leapt at the green intruder. His opponent, however, was not caught completely off-guard, and although he was unable to avoid the attack entirely he was able to ensure that the staff only caught him a glancing blow across one leg. Landing, the boy winced.

"Geez, Rob" he said, his tone showing a bit of hurt. "You really aren't pulling any punches huh? I mean, I get that these aren't the best circumstances for a reunion, but you haven't seen me in almost four months and the first thing you do is attack me? Cold dude, real cold."

"Shut. Up." Robin growled. "You aren't Beastboy. Drop the act."

"I'm not? Well, I'm green like Beastboy. I'm makin' jokes like Beastboy. And I'm awesome like Beastboy" came the reply. "Pretty sure I must be Beastboy, Robby."

"Beastboy would never turn on his teammates- it took me a while to learn that, and the learning nearly cost me a friend, but now I know it's true." Robin said, slowly easing his hand back towards his utility belt- he didn't want to forewarn his opponent by moving too quickly. "Beastboy would never knowingly break the law. Beastboy would never ambush his friends. Most of all, though, Beastboy would never use Raven's feelings for him to lure her into a trap. You did those things- you or someone working with you. So, you are not Beastboy."

The green boy's face contorted in pain- clearly Robin's accusations had struck home. "Wow. Uh-I-Ouch. I know this looks super bad, dude." He said quietly. "And I really can't explain it right now- even if I had the time to tell you what was going on, you'd never believe me. All I can say is this- one day soon, I'll be able to show you what's happening and why, and you'll understand why I had to do all this stuff."

Robin had stalled long enough, and his hand closed around one of his explosive throwing discs. With a snap of his arm, he hurled the small projectile to the ground in front of the green boy. The shaped charge, specially constructed to send most of its explosive force downward (so as to avoid blowing up its target), detonated a few feet away from it's target. The blast sent out a wave of concussive force that knocked the other boy off his feet, and sent him skidding across the floor. Not waiting for his opponent to come to rest, Robin leapt after him, and landed right on top of the green boy's chest with the side of his bo resting against the Adam's apple.

"Call me impatient, but I'm not willing to wait for 'one day'. You're going to start explaining NOW." Robin growled, leaning forward slightly to apply just a touch of pressure onto his staff. The green boy began choking, his eyes going wide. Robin leaned back, his point made. "Who are you, really? Who are you working for? What's going on in Jump City?"

The green boy coughed once more before taking a great breath to fill his lungs. "All right, Rob, all right" he said in a raspy tone. "You made your point. I'll tell you everything you need to know, 'kay? But there's one thing you gotta remember first- you have to promise you'll memorize these words before I'll tell you anything. It's Pelamis Platura. Repeat it!"

"Pelamis platura!" Robin snapped. "Is it a code word? Or a name? Or what?!"

As if in reply, the green boy's body began to shift. Robin could feel the bones under him begin to shift, reform, shrink and- in some cases- vanish entirely. He'd never been in a position to touch a shape shifter while they took a new form before, and he found it unsettling to say the least. He realized several things in one instant. First, this was in fact Beastboy- the odds of their being two green shape shifters in the same city were too low to be seriously considered. For whatever reason, the changeling had abandoned the side of law and order and was now a criminal. The second thing Robin realized was that his former friend was getting ready to attack.

Robin had two choices as he saw it. He could spring away and out of range- Beastboy was limited to close range attacks, there not being many animals with projectile weapons. But if he did that, he would be giving his… his enemy time to escape. Alternatively, he could attack now- before Beastboy was really ready. He would use his freezing disks- they would immobilize the green boy and allow him to be returned to the Tower for interrogation.

All this raced through Robin's head in a fraction of a second, and he was already pulling a freeze

disk from his utility belt when Beastboy settled into his new form. To Robin's surprise, it wasn't one of Beastboy's standard attack forms- not a large animal at all, in fact, but a small snake. The surprise of this caused Robin to hesitate. It lasted only a split second, but it was more than long enough.

The snake struck at Robin's unprotected upper arms, biting three times in quick succession. Robin instinctively clamped a hand to the stricken area and released his weapon, the unarmed throwing disc clattering harmlessly to the ground. The snake wriggled away, before resuming his normal humanoid form.

"Sorry about that, Rob." Beastboy said, his voice taking on a regretful tone as he gathered up his fallen loot and made ready to leave. "But you didn't leave me any choice. Remember- Pelamis Platura. It's the difference between life and death right now."

Upstairs, Cyborg and Starfire moved slowly through the offices and cubicles that filled the floor. For the most part, it was difficult to say whether or not anything had been tampered with or not- the cubicles were in that bizarre state of orderly chaos common to office workers everywhere. That is to say, many of the desks were covered in paperwork and various knick-knacks, but there was a sense that they would have been exactly the same before the break in, and would remain almost exactly the same for months to come. The two heroes had to be extremely careful in their search- with so many potentially confidential documents lying around, they could afford to disturb anything lest they be accused of espionage. This was especially true here because of Lex Luthor's proven hostility to superheroes and vindictive nature. For these reasons, progress had been much MUCH slower for Cyborg and Starfire than it had been for their companions on the floor above.

Unsurprisingly, it was Cyborg who first caught a trace of their quarry. While Starfire's senses were extremely good, even by Tamaranian standards, they were simply no match for Cyborg's enhanced sensors. Cyborg's eye-camera, set to thermal scan, was able to find a trail left by the criminal's warm feet on the comparatively cold tile floor of the office, meaning that not only could they tell where the criminal had been, but also that he had been there quite recently (since the trail would have literally gone cold fairly quickly).

"Let's see…" Cyborg muttered as the pair carefully followed the trail between desks stacked high with paperwork. "He came in through this door, walked over to that desk there and stood there for a while doing… something. Or maybe searching for something? Gah! I can follow this jerk all around the room, but I got no idea what he was doin'! Plus, if we don't know what he was up to, we can't just blindly follow him- like Robin keeps telling us, this could be a trap."

Later on, Cyborg would wonder over the unintentional irony of that.

"It is indeed frustrating" Starfire agreed. "I am also unable to guess why a thief would come into this place of great untidiness. I am amazed that even those who work here every day are able to find anything at all. Are all scientists so messy? Perhaps, then, Beastboy's habits were inherited…"

As Starfire's voice trailed off speculatively, Cyborg gave voice to a tension-easing laugh. "Ah, don't be so hard on these folks, Star. I know how it is for them- when you feel like you're on the trail of a really BIG breakthrough, little stuff like cleaning up gets forgotten."

"I suppose this is true." Starfire replied dubiously. "But it does not solve the problem of how to…"

Starfire was interrupted by the chiming of a communicator. Cyborg opened his up to find Robin looking back at him, his face extremely calm.

"Cyborg. I need you to get down here now." Robin said, his voice as icy calm and emotionless as Raven's ever was.

"Rob? What's going on? What's up with your voice?" Cyborg wondered, as he and Starfire began racing for the door.

"I was just attacked by Beastboy. I'm in front of the storage safe. I need to go now- I need both hands to make the tourniquet. Robin out." With that, the masked boy's image vanished from the small screen. In response, both of the Titans increased their speed.

When they reached the storage safe, they saw Robin sitting cross-legged outside of it, his eyes closed. His chest slowly expanded and contracted as he took deep, slow breaths. Inside the vault, Batgirl was pounding frantically on the thick glass screen of the safe, desperately trying to break through.

"Robin! Oh, my love please be all right!" Starfire said, flying forward to snatch her lover in her arms. She was halted by a single upraised hand from Robin.

"Starfire, please don't come any closer. I was just poisoned by a snake, and I need to stay calm." Robin said, his voice as chill as Mister Freeze himself. "If you hug me, I'll get…excited. If I get excited my heart will beat faster. If my heart beats faster, the poison will spread through my body even faster. Let Cyborg take care of me and help Batgirl get out of the safe."

Nodding, her eyes filled with softly glowing tears of worry, Starfire flew to the door of the safe and ignited a Starbolt. Holding it in her fist, she began to use the energy to melt a hole in the safe door. Meanwhile, Cyborg detached one finger and began to run a bio-scan of the Boy Wonder.

"Rob, what you said before…" Cyborg said hesitantly. "I mean, about BB attackin' you. You- You musta mistaken him for someone else, or misread the situation or something. BB… he wouldn't, he COULDN'T just attack us- we're his family! I mean, maybe if he was the Beast…"

The metal boy trailed off in the face of Robin's emotionless stare. "Cyborg, a green boy in tights with one fang and pointed ears ambushed Batgirl and I. In the course of the fight, he shapeshifted into a venomous snake which was also a bright shade of green. If you can think of another explanation besides Beastboy attacking me, I would very much like to hear it."

"I wish I could" the metal man sighed, before turning his attention back to the scan. "Wow, whatever this stuff is it's really doing a number on your nervous system Rob. D'you know what kind of snake he was when he bit you?"

"I don't. But he did say that remembering the words Pelamis platura would be the difference between life and death right now." Robin answered. He was taking deep, slow breaths in an attempt to stay calm. "Maybe it's the name of a new medicine or something to treat snake bite."

"Well, let me look it up online…" Cyborg said, opening his left forearm to reveal a monitor already connected to the Internet. After a moment, he swallowed deeply and turned a large (unconvincing) smile towards Starfire. "Uh, Star? No pressure or anything but are you almost through to Batgirl?"

"I am." Starfire replied, pushing her blazing hand the last bit of distance through the safe door. "I shall require one of Robin's discs of freezing to cool the hole long enough for our friend to escape."

"Good. Good." Cyborg said distractedly. "Because we may need to move a little quicker than before. Pelamis Platura is the Yellow Bellied Sea Snake, and according to this it's the most poisonous snake in the world. Fortunately, the Jump City Oceanic Institute keeps some in an exhibit, and that means they should have some antivenin for their bite."

"Then we must hurry!" Starfire cried, yanking Batgirl through the now-cold hole and racing to Robin's side. "Every second we delay places Robin's life further in danger!"

Cyborg held up a hand to calm the panicking princess. "Now it ain't as bad as all that. We do have to get a move on, but according to this we got about half an hour to an hour before the poison really starts to work. Sea snakes don't put a lot of their venom in their bite, y'see, so there isn't all that much inside of Rob."

Robin took a deep, and somewhat ragged, breath to calm himself before speaking. "Cyborg- Beastboy bit me three times. I have a triple dose of the venom- so we have at MOST twenty minutes."

Cyborg's eye bulged wide, while his pupil shrank to pinprick size. He didn't reply but gestured for Starfire to grab Robin, while he picked up an exhausted (and very sore) Batgirl. Together, the group raced for the T-Car.

As the Titans raced away, two figures emerged from the alleyway where they had been hiding.

"I can't believe it was that easy!" one crowed. "I mean, I heard so much about the big bad Teen Titans- and it turns out their pushovers! Uh, no offence."

Beastboy gave a soft laugh. "Don't judge them by today's performance, Charlie. Normally, the group's a lot more together than this. They're down two team mates, and probably super confused about this whole mess."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one." Charlie quipped, hefting a satchel full of documents over one shoulder. "I wish you and the boss would clue me in on just what this whole thing was about. Not that it'd change my mind of course, but it'd have been nice to know."

"Yeah, about that…" Beastboy shuffled his feet awkwardly, trying to find the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. Eventually, he decided to just say it, letting himself babble as emotion overtook him. "Look, are you sure you want to leave? I mean, c'mon- I really want you to stay! It'll be so much better now that we're on the same page! You have to stay to meet Raven, I know you'll like her. Is it about what that sick psychiatrist did? I spoke to the boss, and he guaranteed me that he didn't know about that! That sicko's already getting what he deserves, I promise!"

"I know, kid, I know" Charlie said in the weary tones of someone who's said this before. "It ain't that. This whole situation… you, the boss, the shrink, all of it… it's made me rethink my life. Made me ask whether this is really the kinda life I wanna lead, and I decided it wasn't. So I… I'm going straight."

Beastboy's eyes bulged almost cartoonishly at that. "You're what? Dude, that's awesome! Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

"I didn't wanna jinx it, not until I knew for sure it'd work out." Charlie said. "I got a cousin in Metropolis, runs a shoe store. I wrote him asking for help, and I heard back this morning that he's willing to get me a job- an honest, legal, paying job!"

Beastboy dropped his own bag and seized his captor turned friend in an impromptu hug. When he let go, he looked up at the taller man with pride. "I'm totally proud of you, dude! You're making the right choice- crime doesn't pay!"

Charlie said nothing in reply. He merely quirked an eyebrow at the green boy and let his mouth twist into a half-smile. Beastboy instantly understood what was meant, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"This- This is different, dude." The changeling said embarrassedly. "I gotta do this, not just for me but for my friends too. They may hate me now, but once they understand what's really going on, I know they'll agree with me."

A/N

Sorry about the lateness of this update. New Job+ 12 hour shifts= Very Tired Author.

No, I don't think Robin would have an encyclopedic knowledge of rare, exotic snakes. He's primarily an urban hero, and while there ARE snake-themed super villains, even they mostly use either local serpents or well-known species. He probably WOULD have to look it up.


	16. Chapter 16

The trip to the Oceanic Institute was tense but ultimately successful, with Robin receiving the necessary treatment within minutes of their arrival. Due to the number of dangerous sea creatures kept on hand, the Institute had a large and well-stocked selection of antivenins and a 24-hour medical team, to deal with accidents among researchers and maintenance workers. Once the sea snake antivenin had been administered, the Titans were able to take their glorious leader home.

So it was that Robin found himself being carried into the Tower's Common Room by his girlfriend. He couldn't honestly find it in himself to complain- for one thing, Starfire had been on the edge of nervous collapse ever since they'd left the Lexcorp facilities. For another, he was still feeling pretty weak and more than a little dizzy, the poison having done a real number on his body (as had the antidote). He let her set him down on the couch, and motioned for the other Titans to assemble around him before he began to review the evening's events.

"So, I guess we all know what this whole thing means, even if we don't like it." The Boy Wonder finished, his voice a tad raspy. "I know that no one wants to say it, or to hear it, but we have to acknowledge that Beastboy has turned against us. He broke into the pharmaceutical lab, along with an unknown accomplice, stole who-knows-what, assaulted me and escaped."

"I'm not so sure he HAS turned on us, Rob." Cyborg replied, his tone reflective.

Robin shook his head. "I know how close you and Beastboy are – and I know how badly you've missed him. Nevertheless, the evidence speaks for itself- he tried to KILL me, Cyborg."

"Did he?" Cyborg answered, in the smug tones of someone with an ace up their sleeve. "Tell me somethin', Robin, how do you identify a snake?"

"What?" Robin was a bit flummoxed by the apparent change in subject, but did his best to answer. "Well, by the shape of the head, in part, but mostly by the pattern and color…of… oh."

Seeing the Boy Wonder trail off in realization, Cyborg nodded his head. "Right- scale pattern and color are the most obvious ways of identifying a snake's species. But any snake that BB changes into is gonna be the same shade of bright green no matter what species it is. From what you've told us, not only did BB go out of his way to tell you what kinda snake it was, he deliberately held off his attack 'til he was sure you had its name straight."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "If he hadn't done that, we would've never been able to guess what kind of snake it was- I'd probably be dead right now. So, what? You think that proves he's still on our side?"

"No." Batgirl interjected tersely. "Not on our side. He still broke into the lab. Still locked me in the vault. Could have died in there."

"I am not an expert in these matters" Starfire said, a slight blush on her face as she once again admitted her ignorance. "But do not many earthly chemicals require airlessness? If Batgirl was able to breathe during the time she was trapped, would that not mean that there was some form of ventilation within the vault?"

"In this case? Yeah, there was." Cyborg confirmed. "Y'all were a little to busy to notice it, but when I first checked the plans for the lab, I noticed two ventilation ducts inside the storage safe. Not big ones, just about the width of a can of tennis balls, but enough to let some air circulate. I'm thinking BB knew that- with his sensitive nose he'd have smelled the fresh air the minute he opened the safe. That's why he was gonna lock you both in there, because he knew you'd be okay and out of his way. Guess the little grass stain didn't feel up to fightin' two martial artists at once."

"All right, so he wasn't trying to kill us. Maybe he even went out of his way to avoid hurting us." Robin allowed, his tone making it clear that the discussion still wasn't over. "He still broke the law in a number of ways: breaking and entering, destruction of private property, theft, possession of controlled substances… That's not even touching on the question of what he's done with Raven."

Cyborg raised his hands in a placatory gesture. "Ease up, Rob. I'm not sayin' we don't have to bring him in- I'm just saying we shouldn't think of him as just our enemy. Whatever he's up to, BB obviously thinks he's got a good reason for it. Maybe thanks to whoever kidnapped him in the first place. Or maybe there's somethin' else going on here, some plot or conflict we don't know about. All we have to do is catch him and figure out which it is- not easy, but a lot better than sticking him in jail or worse. After that, we either deprogram him or convince him to let us help."

Robin nodded, slowly. He'd learnt the hard way not to jump to conclusions regarding his team mates and their motives, and what Cyborg said did make a degree of sense. Even if there wasn't enough evidence to actually clear Beastboy, there was enough for there to be reasonable doubt. "All right, you've made your point. If- when- we fight Beastboy again, everyone is to try to disable him with the minimum of damage. Now, if there's nothing else for right now, I need to rest. It's been a long…"

Robin was cut off by a loud ringing sound which came from the Titan's communications center, just behind the couch they were sitting on. The noise caused them to jump, and Robin made his way to the screen. He frowned in puzzlement- he couldn't identify the source of the call. Normally, only other super-teams and the city's emergency services, were able to contact the Tower using this line. Cautiously, he brought it up on screen.

Soon the screen was filled by a scowling bald man in his early forties. He was dressed in an expensive suit with a silk tie and a diamond tie pin. Most arresting of all were his eyes, which were as focused as laser beams.

"Lex Luthor" Robin said, his words polite but his voice dripping with loathing. "May I ask how you got this number, _sir_?"

"I am a man of many resources and many connections. That's all that you really need to know." Luthor said dismissively "Now, may I ask how it is that your little play-group allowed criminals to just walk away with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical and pharmaceutical research? Including an experimental drug which was mere months away from changing the world?"

Robin's jaw ached from the effort of not grinding his teeth. Dealing with Luthor was trying at the best of times- the man was as dirty and vile as they came, not to mention all but untouchable thanks to his wealth, power, and slippery cunning. The Boy Wonder thanked his lucky stars that he rarely had cause to speak to the man- Luthor being generally content with restricting himself to Metropolis and antagonizing Superman. "I assure you, _Mister_ Luthor, that we are doing everything we can to retrieve your stolen property." Robin ground out. "But there is no call to belittle my team- we are all professionals, and I would appreciate it if you treated us as such."

"Professionals? Are you joking?" Luthor sneered. "A cybernetic teenager complete with second-rate technology, a clueless alien, TWO second-rate vigilantes not long from their mentors apron strings, a one-boy zoo, and a half-demon who's ALREADY given way to her demonic father once. Yes, truly only a team of professionals such as these would be able to solve this case."

Behind him, the young vigilante could FEEL his teammates ire at the insults, but forced himself to focus on Luthor. Robin took several deep breaths, only continuing when he was sure that his voice was under control. "It would be easier for us to track the thieves if you told us what, exactly they stole."

"The drug they stole was a new kind of anesthetic- one which would numb the body to pain and immobilize the limbs while leaving the patient alert and aware. It wears off fairly quickly, affects only those areas of the body to which it's been applied, and leaves no mental or physical effects. My company feels it will be useful in treating emergency victims, since they will be responsive without suffering." Luthor said, surprising the Boy Wonder with his candour. "As for the documents that were stolen, I'm afraid I can't comment on what they contained. They related to certain contracts between LexCorp Pharmaceutical and the U.S Government- all of which are considered classified information."

"Of course they are." Robin half-muttered to himself. "Is there anything you CAN tell us?"

"Certainly." Luthor sneered "If this is the standard of protection that my businesses can expect in Jump City, than I'm afraid I'll have to take my planned investments elsewhere- as I'll be telling the city council. Good day."

With that, the line went dead, leaving the Titans staring up in fury at the now black screen. Eventually, Robin recovered enough control to speak.

"That miserable, bald-headed, arrogant, slimy…" he ranted. Seeing his ire, the other Titans decided to withdraw and let the Boy Wonder vent.

"I am confused. I thought Lex Luthor was finished after the fall of the Injustice League. Exposed as a criminal. Lost all his businesses. Ruined his reputation. Going to jail for life. Why is he able to question us now?" Batgirl asked, slipping her mask off.

"..two-faced, fork tongued, lousy…"

"Remember, years ago, when Luthor merged with Brainiac?" Cyborg said, raising his voice slightly to try to drown out Robin's raving. "Well, his lawyer claimed that Brainiac had done something to Luthor's mind- warped it somehow, or caused him mental trauma. So, really, nothing he'd done afterwards was really his fault."

"…lying! Scheming! No-good!"

"The people believed that? Despite everything he had done even BEFORE that?" Starfire asked loudly, unable to believe that anyone could be that credulous.

"They did." Cyborg said, almost yelling now. "Remember, Lex had been running for president right before that- as far as everybody knew, he'd become a generous and responsible philanthropic man, dedicated to making the country a better place. So, when he suddenly started the Injustice League it seemed really out of character for him- it made SENSE that he hadn't been in control of himself."

"…RAT! SNAKE! DOG!..."

"But, that's not what's important right now! Right now, we gotta leave Luthor for somebody else to take care of! And Focus! On Finding… ROBIN! IF YOU DON'T STOP SCREAMING BACK THERE I SWEAR I'M GONNA GAG YOUR MOUTH WITH MY FOOT!" Cyborg bellowed, whirling around to glare at his leader.

For his part, Robin stopped dead- his arms were raised above his head and one foot was raised mid-stamp. It was rare for Cyborg to lose his temper with a team mate like that, and it caused the whole team to freeze silently. Sensing the attention that was on him, and that he had over-reacted, the cybernetic hero slumped his shoulders and put one hand over his eyes. He took a deep shuddering breath and slowly let it out before speaking again.

"Rob, I'm sorry. I just- I guess the stress of the whole situation is gettin' to me. Two of my best buds have been kidnapped, an' we ain't got a single damn idea who took 'em, why they took or where they are." Cyborg sighed. "Now, on top'a everything else, we gotta deal with tall, bald, and ugly ridin' our butts and tattlin' on us to the city council. I guess- I guess I just hit my breaking point."

Robin sighed in turn and shook his head. "Likewise. That little outburst wasn't exactly the most mature or professional thing I've ever done. I let Luthor get to me, even if I did manage to hold it in until he couldn't see."

"Friends, I think that we must learn from these outbursts." Starfire said, moving to stand between the two boys, and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "We must make time for relaxation, or the stresses of the situation will overcome us as they did before. To that end, may I suggest we distract ourselves from the problems with the viewing of a movie?"

"I-I dunno, Star" Robin said, frowning slightly. "With everything that's going on right now, I don't think wasting time with a movie is really the right thing for us to be doing. Now that Raven's missing too, we need to focus on what our next move is going to be. We should be planning our search, or reviewing the evidence…"

"If nothing else, I should be working on that underground sonar Rob asked me to make" Cyborg added. "Now that we're two Titans down, the more of the search process we can mechanize the better. I really should get back to the lab now."

To his surprise, Cassie moved to block his path. "Starfire's right. We let ourselves get sucked into our search before. It just stressed us out. Probably lowered our productivity and hurt our team work. Need to make time for some relaxation. Even if only a few hours. Think of as trading time for sanity."

"Yeah, I guess you're right- both of you." Robin said sheepishly, while beside him, Cyborg nodded his head. "Seems like I'm always needing to be reminded that pushing myself- or my team- 24/7 really doesn't help anyone. Okay, what kind of movie do you guys want to see?"

"Well, if we're gonna do this, I say we do it right. I vote for a comedy!" Cyborg said, moving to the Titan's large collection of movies. "Any suggestions?"

As Cassie moved to help their friend pick a film, Robin sidled up to Starfire. "Listen, Star… despite what you said about relaxing, I… I don't think I'm gonna be able to help you, uh, 'relax' tonight. There's just way too much on my mind. I don't even know when I'll feel, um, up to it. No pun intended."

Starfire sighed and gave her boyfriend a peck on the forehead. "It is all right, Robin. You have soothed my mating urges a great deal, and I feel I shall be able to control them for the course of this cycle. It should only last a few more days, in any case. You must rest, that you may lead our search tomorrow."

The movie proved every bit as entertaining as the Titans had hoped, and the young heroes were able to put their worries aside for a few hours in favor of laughter. When the final credits rolled, Cyborg switched off the TV while wiping a tear from his eye.

"Whoa, I don't know about the rest of you" he said "but I feel SO much better- nothing like a good laugh to get rid of stress."

"Yeah, maybe this is the answer. Every night, we make time to watch a movie before we go to bed." Robin agreed before he broke into an enormous yawn. "Speaking of, I think I need to get some sleep soon. Today's been a really long day, and…"

At just that moment, the alarm began to blare. Robin rolled his eyes beneath his mask and made to rise from the couch. "And it looks like it's getting longer. Back to…"

"No! You shall not go back to anything!" Starfire interrupted him, firmly pushing him back onto the couch. "The doctor at the Marine Institute was most firm about this- your body has been through a great deal of stress from both the poison and the antidote. You must rest! We will deal with this crisis while you remain here."

Robin looked ready to argue, until Cassie broke in. "She's right, Tim. You were badly hurt. You need time. If this were one of the others, you'd be telling them the same thing."

The Boy Wonder frowned, but nodded as he threw up his hands in submission. "You're right, you're right. I'll stay here and rest."

Cyborg had moved to the communications array and was examining the cause of the latest disturbance. Glancing back at the girls, he frowned. "Break in at the art museum. It might just be a basic theft, but just in case it's a distraction I'll put the Tower into LockDown mode before we leave. That means all the doors and windows are gonna be sealed shut, while the alarms and defense systems are on high-alert. All that SHOULD be enough to keep any enemy short of Trigon out, but… well, Beastboy…"

"If Beastboy really has turned against us, the system won't be geared to stop him." Robin finished. "I got it. I'll stay awake and alert until you guys get back. Now, go stop that thief!"

* * *

><p>Raven's eyes slowly fluttered open, and consciousness gradually returned. She felt groggy, weak, and disoriented. She wasn't even able to really take in her surroundings, so fogged was her mind. This would not do. She let her eyes fall shut but, with an enormous effort of will, she forced herself to remain awake. Rather than sinking into sleep, she put herself into a meditative trance, calling on her Azarathian training and psychic power to heal her body of whatever was currently afflicting it.<p>

A wave of dark energy slowly passed over her body, and Raven diagnosed herself. Moderate blood loss- not dangerous, but it did explain why she felt weak and it was easy enough to fix. Some muscle damage, mainly bruising, also easily healed. What puzzled her was the presence of large quantities of sedatives and anesthetic in her bloodstream. She was able to neutralize most of these chemicals, but there presence still bothered her. Why would she have…

In an instant it all came back to her. The search of Jump City. Her brief encounter with Garfield. The…The syringe he'd stuck into her thigh, causing her to black out. As she relived that memory she felt trickles of wetness trail down her cheek. Hearing the sound of glass breaking somewhere nearby, Raven wrestled her emotions back under control, opening her eyes only once she'd regained her calm.

Although the room was now quite dark (due to the explosion of several lights), Raven was able to make out enough detail to guess that she was in some sort of hospital ward. She was lying in a convalescent bed, with a series of machines hooked up to her to monitor her vital signs, with a blood-pressure band around her upper arm and a pulse/oxygen monitor attached to one finger. To one side of her bed was an IV stand, with an empty bag and its drip-feed resting free against the stand. Taking the gauges off, Raven swung her feet off the bed and slowly rose to her feet. She stood unsteadily for a moment, before she fought off the dizziness and residual weakness and took a tentative step towards the door. Then she took another. And another.

Slowly but surely, Raven made her way to the doorway, stopping once she reached it. She leaned forward slightly to rest her forehead against the cool metal of the door. She noted, absently, that her head seemed a great deal cooler than she was used to but with her mind as fuzzy as it was, she couldn't imagine why that might be. Taking a deep breath, she used her telekinetic power to slide the door open. Finding herself in the middle of a darkened corridor, Raven selected a direction at random and began to make her way down the hallway.

Now, Raven was no fool- she could tell that she hadn't been totally successful in repairing whatever had been done to her. The best thing for her body would be to return to her bed and rest- it would let her body recover naturally and allow her mind time to clear. However, whoever her captors were, they hadn't expected her to be awake now- otherwise they would have posted guards or restrained her. She would likely never have a better chance to escape than she did right now, and she intended to make the most of it.

After a while, though, Raven's tired body proved stronger than her willpower, and she was forced to stop for a rest. She put her back against the wall, intending only to lean against it, but she found her legs giving way and she slumped to the ground. With her back supported against the wall, the empath began to close her eyes. The sound of footsteps making their way down the corridor caused her to open her eyes again. Through bleary, weary vision she made out an older man looking down on her with an expression of surprise and concern.

His short hair was a pure, snowy white. His face boasted a number of old scars, and one eye was covered by a black patch. He wore a simple black t-shirt and training pants, which showed off his physique. His arms were corded with wiry muscle, and bore a host of scars of varying sizes and shapes. His skin was lightly tanned, like someone who had spent a lot of time in the sun in the past but not at all recently. Her psychic senses (weak though they were at present, due to her unfocused state) insisted that the man's aura was familiar, yet for the life of her she could not recognize him. It was only when he spoke that Raven knew exactly who he was.

"Hello, Raven." Slade said, his voice filled with more warmth than she'd ever heard from him before. "I didn't expect you to be awake so soon. Don't you think you'd be more comfortable resting in bed? Here, let me help you back to your room."

Before Raven could act to defend herself, her treacherous body gave way and she slipped back into sleep.

A/N  
>I LIVE!<p>

Apologies on the long, long wait. Most of this chapter was ready in late September, but a series of unbelievable sh*tstorms in my life required me to postpone the update. Sorry about that.

The last season of JLU was kinda unfair to Lex Luthor. Not only is he totally suckered the whole season, but he starts it in jail for stuff he did while merged with Brainiac. This is the slipperiest, slyest and most brilliant criminal in the DCU- no way he would have been convicted in those circumstances. Hell, even the stuff he did as part of the Injustice League could be covered by that 'Brainiac made me do it' defense.

Oh, and don't worry: My next update shouldn't take as long as this one did.


	17. Chapter 17

Beastboy moved silently through the Jump City Art Museum, intent on completing his mission as quickly and discretely as possible. Most people who knew him would jokingly deny that the changeling was capable of discretion, but Beastboy had spent years training under (and with) some of the best and most versatile heroes in the world. Furthermore, his shape-changing abilities made it even easier for him to sneak about as he moved from shadow to shadow, the young hero would shift to a new animal form. He knew the museum was filled with cameras, but he was counting on the fact that the guards watching the monitors wouldn't notice a few small reptiles and mammals scurrying around the place.

Slowly, meticulously, he made his way to the security control room and crawled under one of the vacant desks (still in rat form). This assault had been timed perfectly, striking at the moment that the evening shift switched with the night shift. This meant that, for a few brief moments, all the security guards in the museum were in one place as the oncoming shift received a briefing from the outgoing. Shifting back to human form, Beastboy fingered a small bag which was tied to the belt of his costume. Formed from the same fabric as his uniform, the bag had shifted shape along wth him, and still contained its payload. He didn't pretend to understand the science of it (surely the contents should have limited how small the container could shrink?) but he knew what he had to do with it. Taking a deep breath, the green boy opened the pouch. From it, he removed a small cylinder no more than six inches long.

_Small, but powerful_ the green boy thought with a smirk _Kinda like me._

Beastboy twisted the top of the cylinder, before rolling it across the room to where the guards were huddled in conference. Exposed to air now that the top was open, a unique mix of chemicals within the tube began to do their work producing a thick, almost narcotic cloud which soon spread throughout the room. The guards were almost immediately caught in this haze, passing out where they stood. Once he was sure the guards were truly unconscious, the green shape shifter raced to the door and threw it open wide. Once he was sure they wouldn't suffocate, Beastboy began to secure the guards, using their own handcuffs to make sure they couldn't interfere with his task for the night by attaching them to various objects. He then went around the chamber, disabling telephones and removing cellular phones. It took some time, but he wanted to make sure that no one would be calling for help while he was still in the building.

That done, the green boy made his way out into the museum proper, intent on completing his assigned task as quickly as possible.

When he heard the door to the control room swing shut, Ronald Hunt opened his eyes. He'd been able to see the chemical cloud forming, and although he hadn't been able to warn his coworkers he HAD been able to hold his breath and feign unconsciousness until Beastboy had gone. He did not regard this as cowardice; he was not being paid to attack renegade superheroes single handedly, after all. The green boy had cuffed him to the supervisor's desk leaving him with a way to call for help. While Beastboy had unplugged all the phones in the office, he'd apparently forgotten about the museum's distress button- which would alert ALL law enforcement bodies that something was badly wrong. It was, conveniently enough, located underneath this very desk. Stretching out one foot, Ronald was just able to brush the switch with his toes. With a grunt, he pushed down until he felt the button (or possibly his ankle) click. Hoping that someone would receive the call, Ronald settled back to await rescue.

Beastboy made his way through the museum towards the delivery dock. He needed to admit his… assistants… before he could begin the night's work. At the thought of his helper's the green boy grimaced- he really didn't like working with them. He knew there was a really good reason for what he was doing, and he knew that their help was needed to pull off tonight's job. But that didn't mean he liked them- he had WAY too many bad memories associated with them for that to ever happen. Arriving at the dock, the green boy moved towards the large doors when he heard a loud clang behind him. Beastboy spun around just in time to see Cyborg, Batgirl and Starfire come through the now kicked-in fire entrance.

"Beastboy, you gotta stop this now!" Cyborg declared, pointing at his best friend. "I dunno what you think you're doing, but we can't let ya keep breaking the law!"

"Cyborg is correct, my friend. You must surrender to us at once." Starfire said with a hint of pleading in her tone. "Whatever it is that is occurring, whatever it is that has pushed you onto this path, we shall assist you in solving it. Please, I… We do not wish to harm you."

"Starfire's right." Batgirl said, her usual clipped words spoken in a caring tone. "Right now, you can surrender. We can fix things. We want to fix things. Want things back the way they were. But if you fight, we'll take you down. Even if we wish we didn't have to."

Slowly, the changeling began to sidestep around the room. He never made eye contact with his friends, and never hurried his pace- he wanted to make his way to the loading dock's door without the Titans knowing what he was up to. So he moved slowly, as though he had no goal in moving other than to avoid their gaze. Which, in a sense, he was- he knew that what he was doing was important. He knew that what he was doing was totally justified. He even knew that, ultimately, his friends and the city would THANK him for what he was doing. But that didn't make the mixture of hope and mistrust on his friend's faces any more palatable.

"You guys don't understand." Beast boy sighed.

"Then MAKE us understand." Cyborg replied firmly, taking a step closer. Beastboy shook his head and took a step backward, and continued inching his way around the room. He was almost there, now.

"Don't you think I want to? I wanna explain this to you guys! I want us all to be on the same page!" He exclaimed, waving his arms with emotion. "But it just can't be done right now. It's not something I can just TELL you- I can only show it to you when the time is right. So, now it's my turn to ask something. I'm asking you guys to leave, now. I've got some stuff I gotta do here tonight- stuff I gotta… gotta take. So, I'm asking ya- I'm BEGGING ya- to leave now, before I have to go through you."

Starfire's sad face transformed into a look of purest fury, her eyes blazing green as she rose into the air. "Through us? If that is one of your jokes, I must inform you that it does not amuse. You will defeat the three of us? With the assistance of what army?"

Beastboy reached out and pressed the button that opened the loading bay, revealing a group of five large Sladebots waiting outside. "This one." He answered.

Cyborg felt his heart break the instant the Sladebots entered the room. Up until that point, he'd done a good job convincing himself that Beastboy hadn't really done anything wrong. Yes, he'd stolen some things from the lab, but it was a LexCorp facility which meant that it was probably neck-deep in dirty deals, and BB was probably just securing evidence. Yes, he'd attacked Robin and Batgirl but he'd gone out of his way to make sure they weren't seriously hurt. In hindsight, Cyborg could see the way he'd stretched logic and twisted circumstances in an attempt to exonerate his buddy.

But now there was no denying that Beastboy had turned on them. Turned on HIM. Beastboy had called in Sladebots for back-up, meaning that the changeling had thrown his lot in with the Titans oldest and bitterest enemy. This was the blackest possible betrayal, and a part of him felt like it died at that moment, watching his friend sprint off into the museum proper. In addition to the feeling of betrayal, Cyborg could already feel the first stirrings of fear. Alone among the Titans, he understood just how dangerous the young shape shifter could be- and the thought of that power in the hands of Slade was enough to chill the blood.

However, now was not the time to dwell on his emotional wounds. These robots looked like the upgraded model of Sladebots that the Titans had last battled at the Hickers NanoTech lab, taller and bulkier than the standard models. Assuming they were the same model, they would have significantly thicker armor and much more powerful weapons systems. It had taken five of the Titans to handle that fight, and one of their most powerful members was missing. On the other hand, there were far fewer robots to fight this time, five as opposed to a dozen. Furthermore, the Titans had upgraded their weapons in the time since that fight while it seemed likely that Slade's robots remained unchanged. His computerized brain swiftly calculated the odds, and he came up with a workable solution.

"Batgirl, use those high explosive discs Robin gave you to keep those robots busy! Starfire, You're the fastest one here! I need you to go after Beastboy!" He called out. As the masked vigilante went to carry out his orders, Cyborg motioned Starfire closer to quietly whisper "But remember- ya gotta be real careful in there. The museum's hosting a lot of foreign artefacts right now, and if something got destroyed we could be responsible for an international incident."

"I understand, friend. I wish you both good fortune" Starfire said as she took to the air after her green prey.

Terran history was strangely similar, in parts, to Tamaranian history. Both were filled stories of glorious battle, of magnificent heroes conquering in the name of that which they believed. The difference was that modern Terrans often seemed to be ashamed of this part of their past, focusing on the losses inherent to warfare rather than on the heroism it allowed. Despite this difference, Starfire knew that the halls of ancient weapons and armor through which she flew were priceless. She could not afford to damage any of these treasures. So she was forced to search carefully and slowly, all the while knowing that her quarry was under no such restrictions and could flee at any time. Nevertheless, she continued pursuit- following a trail of disturbed exhibits that her former friend had left behind in his haste.

Eventually, she trailed the changeling to an exhibition of traditional Chinese silk tapestries and large statues. It was a small room, with only one entrance, and no visible heating ducts or vents. In short, the changeling was trapped- the only way out was to go right past Starfire. Despite this seeming advantage, the alien princess was more frustrated than ever before. Beastboy could easily take the form of an insect to creep right past her, and she was powerless to stop him. Indeed, it was only his emotional and impulsive nature that had prevented him from doing so before now. But if he was trapped, he would surely realize his advantage. Unless…

_Hmm.. emotional… and impulsive… Yes, I believe I can work with this. _Starfire thought to herself before clearing her throat loudly. "It is clearly a day for revelations is it not? Not only do I learn that my friend Beastboy is a foul traitor, but that he is a coward as well! Afraid to face his so-called friends after siding with our worst enemies!"

No response. The chamber remained silent and still. Starfire decided to add some guilt to the emotional mix. "Do you know how hard the last few months have been for us, Beastboy?" She called out, letting some very-real hurt creep into her voice. "We have searched for you for months! We have very nearly driven ourselves insane looking for clues as to your whereabouts! We flew to Gotham merely because we thought it POSSIBLE that you might be there!"

Starfire saw something twitch under a pile of silks and allowed herself a small smile. Clearly her plan was working- this manipulation business was not so hard after all! But now was not the time to stop. As she slowly edged forward toward the site of her quarry, Starfire continued her lament.

"There were times in which we had given up nearly all forms of recreation- all aspects of our lives other than the search for you! Cyborg nearly destroyed his systems scanning for you, while Batgirl and Robin spent many nights without sleep! I have not truly felt like flying for months, and our home was a place of shadow and misery."

Another rustle among the tapestries, this time a little further to the left. Starfire continued her slow approach, while she readied her ultimate weapon.

"To say nothing of what you have done to friend Raven!" the alien girl called out, her voice full of emotion. "Was her life not difficult enough before all of this began? Her first true boyfriend, her first real love, is kidnapped- again! She has been all but inconsolable this whole time! She has spent all of her time looking for you! She has endured nightmares, pain, many worries and countless insecurities for you! How have you repaid this loyalty, this suffering? By kidnapping her in turn, and handing her over to our worst enemy! A man who, I remind you, we have seen before working for her father! Do you imagine she will thank you for giving her over to Trygon?"

The lump behind the tapestry was now shivering violently, and Starfire was almost within striking distance. She prepared herself for the attack- she could not use a starbolt or even a violent strike, lest she damage the artefacts. Instead she would grab the whole tapestry and use it to restrain her one-time friend, holding him in place until the other Titans could arrive. As she approached, however, the lump exploded outward in the shape of a green armadillo. The emerald beast, tucking itself into a ball, rolled directly through Starfire's legs to emerge at the doorway behind her. The armadillo became a massive green gorilla, which pulled down the two large statues flanking the door, effectively barricading the room shut. Oddly, Starfire was sure she could see tears streaking the apes face before the statuary blocked her view.

"Sorry to do this, Star." Beastboy choked out as he returned to his own form. "But what I'm doing now is too important for me to be able to stop and explain. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused, and I wish it hadn't happened. But believe me, one day you're gonna thank me for this."

With that, the green boy pelted away and left his friend to carefully lift the massive statues.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the Titans returned to their tower. They were tired, bruised and largely defeated. Although Cyborg and Batgirl had succeeded in destroying the advanced Sladebots before they could enter the museum, Beastboy had escaped them with (according to the museum administrators) a number of small, priceless statuettes. So it was that, when they came to report to Robin, all three heroes looked decidedly ashamed of themselves.<p>

"All right, let me see if I've got this straight" Robin said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You got to the museum, fought Sladebots, and let Beastboy get away. So not only have a bunch of valuable artefacts been stolen, causing a diplomatic uproar with their donor nation, but we can now confirm that Beastboy is working for Slade."

"Yup. Pretty much." Cyborg sighed, collapsing onto the couch and covering his eyes with one arm. "I don't think things could BE much worse than they are right now."

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW he'd turned!" Robin yelled, banging his fist on the armrest of the couch. "I shouldn't have let you talk me down!"

"Okay, okay Rob" Cyborg sighed "You were right. I was wrong. Ok?"

"It has truly been a most horrible night, Robin" Starfire confirmed, heading for the kitchen. "As such I am going to do the drowning of my sorrows in mustard."

"I'm going to my room." Batgirl reported. "Need to update Batman. Asked me to keep him posted. He's not likely to be happy. Would rather not have everyone listen to that."

Robin sat down on the couch next to Cyborg and tried to contain his emotions. "Guys, this is REALLY serious. If Beastboy is working for Slade, he's likely going to try and turn Raven as well. That would be trouble, to say the very least."

"Seriously?" Cyborg asked, uncovering his face and giving his leader an incredulous look. "Beastboy's workin' for Slade and you think RAVEN is the bigger threat?"

"Well, yeah." Robin said, his tone revealing his puzzlement. "I mean, I know she can't summon her father anymore- not without it being a suicide move, anyway. But she's still a powerful telekinetic and psychic, as well as a sorceress. I don't mean to deride Beastboy but, c'mon, it's not really a competition."

"I must agree with Robin" Starfire affirmed, sitting down on the couch with a jar of spicy Dijon. "Beastboy's powers are only slightly useful against you and myself, as we are stronger than most Earthly animals and immune to most poisons. We could easily counter him, while Raven remains unmatched. She has proven this time and again in our sparring matches."

"Dammit, he didn't want me to talk about this. Still, not like I'd be the one betraying the friendship here…" Cyborg muttered before clearing his throat. "Okay, guys? I'm gonna change the way you see Beastboy with just one word. Ready?... Virus."

Starfire gasped, and let her mustard drop from suddenly numb fingers. "Great X'hal…" she breathed "I had not- I had never even considered…"

"Um, I don't get it" Robin said, looking from Cyborg to his girlfriend in confusion.

"I-I have not the words" Starfire stammered. "I understand, but cannot explain. Cyborg?"

"Okay, Rob, I'll put this in simple terms." Cyborg replied in his best 'explanatory' voice. "Y'know how vaccinations work, right? The doctors inject a weakened version of the virus into you so that your immune system can understand the virus and fight it easily when you get infected. But over the years, the virus changes and evolves and the vaccine doesn't work anymore, which is why you need to get re-inoculated every so often. With me so far?"

"Yeah, I understand that." Robin said, impatiently.

"Okay, now I want you to imagine something. Imagine a virus that can evolve not in months, but in seconds. A virus that could be spread by air, by blood, or by fluids as it chose. A virus that can lie dormant for months, even years before it DECIDES to start causing any kind of symptoms. Imagine a virus that can choose who it kills and who it spares. No vaccine, no medication, no quarantine could possibly be effective against it. No one could be immune, no one would be spared." Cyborg said, leaning close. "You called Raven a psychic and a sorceress. Well, Beastboy's a one-man PANDEMIC."

Robin was silent for a moment, as he processed the idea that his goofy team mate could end life on Earth. After a while he spoke, his voice noticeably distant. "When did you find out about this? Why wasn't I told about it?"

"We- that is, BB and me- figured it out after he turned into bacteria to fix me. We started yakkin' about what he'd done and what it might mean. I brought up the virus thing and he brought up the evolution idea. As for why we never told you…" Cyborg sucked in a deep breath through his teeth before continuing. "BB made me promise not to. He was too scared of it."

"Why would that affect whether he told me or not? He must have known I wouldn't toss him off the team for what his powers can do…" Robin froze and an expression of horror crossed his face. "He- He didn't think I'd make him USE it or anything did he?!"

"NO! NONONONO!" Cyborg yelled, waving his hands in negation. "He knew that you'd never do that! He was scared of what people would think of him- he saw how people treated Raven after her birthday, and he didn't want to go through that himself."

"I…wow…" Robin said, still stunned. "This- this is a lot to take in. I really don't know what to do with this information."

"I do." Cyborg said, grimly. "We have to tell the authorities- the mayor, the city council, everybody. They NEED to know that BB's turned on us. Even if he never uses his powers that way- and given that he was still trying not to hurt us, I think we can still say that much- they need to know he can't be trusted."

"I know" Robin agreed. "I've set up a meeting with the mayor and Commissioner Whyte tomorrow morning. You guys can take the morning to sleep in, I'll talk to them myself."

"…And that's the situation" Robin concluded.

There was a long pause as the mayor and the commissioner absorbed this new information. Then, Whyte let out a long sigh.

"Y'know, Robin, I've had bad experiences with costumed vigilantes in the past. You know what happened in Modesto- I've seen what can happen when a city becomes too dependant on super-heroes. At the same time, there are plenty of examples of what happens when metahumans begin to misuse their abilities. But I'd come to think that the Titans were different, and I'd come to trust you and to trust your judgement." Whyte's voice hardened. "I can see now that I was wrong. We kept your friend's disappearance under wraps because you were sure he'd been kidnapped. Now you're telling us that not only has he started working with a terrorist but that he has the power to become a weapon of mass destruction? A power you never once told us about?!"

"Commissioner, you need to calm down." The mayor said, her voice calm and collected. "I'm sure Robin didn't KNOW his friend had joined Slade, otherwise he'd certainly have told us before now. As for the second point, what good would it have served to tell us? As I understand it, there are no precautions we could have taken and if the information ever leaked it would cause a panic!"

"I'm… glad you understand" Robin said, more than a bit surprised. "Honestly, I was expecting a lot more hostility and suspicion."

"Robin, you and your team have saved this city dozens of times. You risk your lives, day in and day out, for no monetary reward and comparatively little fame and glory." The mayor replied. "I think I can safely say that, whatever happens, Jump City will trust its Titans."

* * *

><p>Far away, Raven again fluttered her eyes open. She felt as though her mind was much clearer than last time, and she took a moment to examine her surroundings. She seemed to be in a hospital room, lying in a recovery bed and surrounded by various machines. The lighting in the room was dimmer than was common to hospitals, however, and the room was clearly built for one. Beside her bed sat Slade, his face once again bare. He gave Raven what she could only describe as a kindly smile.<p>

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." Said the older man "We need to have a talk"

A/N  
>The holidays are a… busy time when you work in a mall. Added to this is the fact that this chapter really didn't come easy to me. I don't know why, but the first half was like pulling teeth.<p>

It's always bugged me when authors belittle Beastboy's powerset. From the moment he first turned into a bacteria and REPRODUCED, it was obvious to me that he was the most powerful member of the team. Superstrength, flight, telepathy… none of these mean anything compared to the power to wipe out all life. Even Raven's dimensional gate thing isn't on par, since it is essentially a suicide move for her (Trygon being WAY too pissed to let her live). And frankly, that STILL isn't the limit of his powers, as will be seen…


	18. Chapter 18

Raven remembered the way her last attempt at escape had ended, and took her time getting out of the hospital bed. The first step was to slowly sit up in bed, giving herself plenty of time to get used to the change in angle and to regain her strength. Next, she turned her body and swung her legs out onto the floor. She paused for a moment, tensing and relaxing her leg muscles so that they wouldn't cramp, before easing herself upright. She felt better than she had the last time she'd awakened- less weak and more aware, though her head felt surprisingly cold. All this time, Slade stood patiently by her bed, his face and posture showing that he had been ready to intervene if Raven collapsed again. The dark girl glared at him- after everything he had done to her and to her friends, the man had no right to act as though he were a friend. She tried to seize him with her powers- tried and failed, since she couldn't summon any of her telekinetic abilities. Her disquiet at this caused a light bulb above them to explode, confirming that her powers were still present, just beyond her conscious use.

"What..." Raven coughed, and cleared her throat. Evidently, the long period asleep had weakened her voice a bit. "What have you done to me, Slade?"

Slade merely shook his head. "Nothing harmful, I assure you. Your powers are currently being partially blocked, only to ensure that you at least hear me out. The effect will wear off in another hour or so, after which you can do as you like."

"Right." Raven said sarcastically. "I completely believe that."

The argument was interrupted by the door bursting open. Beastboy charged into the room, a huge smile on his face.

"Rae! You're awake! I heard the light break and I was like 'I know that kaboom! That… has… to be…" The changeling's voice trailed off as he got a good look at her. His jaw sagged open and he stared wide-eyed at her head. Puzzled, Raven moved a hand to her head to search for whatever had provoked this reaction.

_Is there something wrong with my hair? It doesn't seem like that'd bother him this much. He's never shown that much interest in my… in my… my… _

Raven's mind went briefly blank and her other hand flew up to her scalp.

Her bare scalp.

All of her head hair was gone. Feeling about frantically, she could feel a small scar near the back of her head, still fresh enough to be sore. Raven's empathic abilities (apparently unaffected by Slade's treatment) let her read Beastboy's reaction with more clarity: she detected shock, amazement, and… something else, something that disturbed her a bit.

"Excuse me." Slade said, with a surprising amount of hesitance in his voice. "Far be it from me to interrupt this reunion, but Raven and I really need to have a talk."

"It's fine." Raven said, turning away from the green boy. "I have nothing to say to that traitor anyway. Not after he used me- just like a certain dragon did."

Behind her, Beastboy's whole body seemed to sag at those words. His face went from shocked to devastated as he realized just how badly he'd hurt Raven- not physically, but emotionally. The dark girl had always had trust issues and his seeming betrayal had likely hurt her far more than he'd thought at the time. He couldn't kid himself- there was a real chance he'd destroyed their relationship.

Before the changeling could begin to apologize Slade placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's hardly fair, Raven. Garfield had a very good reason for what he did. And if you'll hear me out, I know that you'll agree."

Raven looked at Beastboy- he looked crushed, broken. Hardly the way he'd look if he'd honestly, knowingly betrayed her to an enemy. It was this that convinced her to at least hear them out- not because she thought she'd be convinced by Slade but because she wanted to understand what Beastboy thought he was doing. Turning back to Slade, she said "Make it good."

The older man led Raven out of the room and down the hall, Beastboy plodding along a few feet behind them like a whipped dog. Slade moved slowly, not pushing Raven too hard but letting her take her own pace. Eventually, they reached a well-appointed office, with dark wood panelling and a pair of leather chairs facing each other across a desk. The older man waved Raven to one seat as he turned back to Beastboy.

"Garfield, this is likely to be a rather personal experience for Raven. Under the circumstances, I think it would be best if you left us alone for this." Slade said, putting his hand on the changeling's shoulder. He leaned close and Raven had to strain her hearing to catch what he said next. "Don't feel bad, Garfield. Raven was speaking out of hurt before, and I'm confident that once she understands the situation she will be willing to forgive you. Women can be far more understanding than you'd think- and I speak from experience."

Beastboy managed a weak smile. "Dude, didn't you tell me your wife was the one who took your eye?"

Slade (amazingly) returned the smile, and patted the green boy on the back. "The fact that she only took one eye proves my point. Why don't you go check on the inventory from the museum? I promise I'll let you know as soon as we finish here."

Beastboy sent Raven a long, piteous look. The empath forced herself to look away, reminding herself of how Beastboy had drugged her and handed her over to Slade. Crestfallen, Beastboy only nodded and left the room. Slade closed the door, and moved to take the other seat.

"Well? Shall we get started?" Raven said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Do you want to start with the 'Become my apprentice and we'll rule the world' routine, or the 'It is your destiny to join me' bit?"

"Neither" Slade replied, unperturbed by his the hostility his 'guest' was displaying. "Raven, let me ask you a question: Why does the city still trust the Titans?"

Raven snorted. "That's how you're going to do this? All right, I'll play along. Because we earned their trust by protecting the city for all these years. Because we've put our lives on the line time and again for them. Because we've shown we DESERVE their trust."

"Have you?" Slade countered. "When Starfire first arrived on this planet she tore up the city and brought alien soldiers chasing after her. Robin put the city in danger by agreeing to join me. Terra nearly DESTROYED the city. You, yourself, opened the gates of hell and nearly brought about the end of the world."

"Most of that was YOUR fault." Raven pointed out. "You blackmailed Robin into joining you, you told Terra to attack the city, and you were the one who caused the prophecy about me to come true. While it's true the chaos surrounding Starfire's arrival wasn't your fault, there was a perfectly valid reason for it."

"Do you really think any of that should matter?" Slade said, his tone almost patronizing. "The general public doesn't know any of that, and even most members of the city government aren't aware of all of it. The Justice League, a team of established and experienced superheroes, was the subject of intense suspicion and official scrutiny solely on the basis of what they MIGHT be able to do. Yet, at no time has there been a public inquiry into how the Titans are run, nor has a single official or public servant ever come out against the team. I don't think there's even been more than a handful of newspaper editorials which have painted the Titans in a negative light, no matter what you do. You are five superhuman teenagers living completely unsupervised, and no one even bats an eye. Don't you find that the slightest bit odd?"

Raven hesitated. It WAS a bit strange when he put it that way… "Is this where I ask what the truth really is?" Raven said, a slight tremor of anger finding its way into her voice. "Because I'm not interested in whatever fairy tale you want to tell me. You're a super villain who's spent the last few years trying to destroy us. Before that, you were just another high-end mercenary, DEATHSTROKE. So, logically, this must be a trick."

"If you've studied my past" Slade replied "then you'd know that I've never taken a job that struck against the United States. That's because I still consider myself a patriot, of sorts- loyal not to the government of this country, but to the principals it stands for. Those principals do not include child soldiers. What's been done to you is a gross violation of those principals, one which no true American can allow to stand. I haven't been trying to destroy you, child, I've been trying to help you."

"Help us. Right." Raven droned sarcastically. "What, pray tell, is this threat that you had to save us from?"

In response, Slade opened a drawer on the desk and withdrew a large file folder. "Take a look for yourself." Raven reached out and picked up the file, flipping through the pages to get a general sense of what was there. As she did so, Slade carried on speaking. "As you can see, a cabal within the city government started discussing the Titans almost as soon as the team was formed. This group is composed of some of the top people in the city, but never the elected officials. The people at the top can change with every election, but the people just underneath them are permanent fixtures. Take a look at the very first document in that file."

Raven did so. It seemed to be a letter from one of the captains of the JCPD to one of the city's legal team. It was an enquiry about the laws regarding the arrest and trial of aliens- both extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional. Raven was hurt, but hardly shocked- this letter was dated shortly after Starfire arrived on Earth, and her initial rampage through Jump City. A response followed, stating that the city was considering "all options, including nonconventional ones, to guarantee the safety and security of the city".

Raven continued to flip through the file, not really reading but scanning each document in turn. Several pages were damaged or seemed to be extracts from larger documents, but all of them proposed different methods of controlling the Teen Titans. One was a diagram of a prototype shock collar, which would have been used to keep the Titans from disobeying orders. Another proposed introducing an addictive substance into the Titans water supply and using that to keep the young heroes under control. As she came to the end of the file she heaved a deep and sorrowful sigh. It wasn't pleasant to learn that the people you've risked your life to protect have been thinking about enslaving you.

"Done with that one? I apologize for its lack of completeness- many of the components were taken during Plasmus' recent assault on the municipal archives. Sadly, some key files were damaged in the confusion- in fact my agent was lucky to escape with her life. But here, let's move on to this." Slade said, and tossed her another folder- thinner than the first one. "Those were the theories- crazy ideas that were quickly shot down. This, this is what they finally decided upon."

Slade slid his chair over to sit beside Raven. The empath shuddered at the closeness of the man who'd done so much to her friends but let it slide. She had other things to worry about. She looked down at the page Slade was indicating. To her surprise, it didn't describe a new drug, or device, or blackmail strategy. Instead, it was a photograph of a stout African-American woman in her mid- to late forties. Based on the background of the photo, she was arriving at Jump City airport. Raven wracked her brain, trying to place this woman among the various figures in the city's government, but was unable to do so. She looked at Slade with a questioning expression on her face.

"That is Amanda Waller" Slade said, tapping the photograph. "Former presidential advisor for Metahuman affairs. Former head of the Suicide Squad program. Former head of CADMUS. This is the woman responsible for the government's ill-fated campaign against the Justice League. She has made a career out of controlling metahumans and vigilantes. Would it interest you to know that, in the first year of the Titans existence, she made no less than three trips in and out of Jump City? Or that, during this time, she never met with a single politician or elected official, despite her own importance and political history?"

"So, why did she come here?" Raven said, a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I believe that she was brought to Jump City as a kind of consultant. Her career has been built on the isolation and control of dangerously powerful individuals- it would make sense that she be brought in when the cabal could not find a solution on their own." Slade said "I admit that I have no evidence for this- there are no records regarding what she did or who she met during her time in Jump City. But given what you saw in the first folder, I think you'll agree it's unlikely she came for the Jump City Jellybean Jamboree."

"All right" Raven said, fighting to maintain her scepticism. "Let's assume all your so-called evidence is valid. What exactly was their final plan? Furthermore, if this is all some principled stand against tyranny, why didn't you take this stuff to the press? Or to us?"

Slade shot the dark girl a rueful smile. "If I had come to Robin and the rest of you with this story, even with all the evidence you've seen so far, you would have dismissed me as some kind of nut. Or worse, you would have learned of my past and assume that I was trying to trap you."

"Why shouldn't I assume that now?" Raven shot back.

"Raven, look around you. I HAVE you now. If I'd wanted to do something to you, why would I have waited until you were awake to act?" Slade said, a touch patronizingly she thought. As she mulled that over, the mercenary reached back into the desk and pulled out a small box. "As to your earlier question, well… look inside."

Raven opened the box, not sure what to expect. Inside were two tiny metallic objects, crusted with what appeared to be dried blood and some kind of greyish meat. She up-ended the box and let the two items rattle onto the desk. Slade jabbed a finger at them.

"These were removed from both your and Beastboy's brains." He said, his voice rich with disgust. "While I'm no neurologist, I know enough about cybernetics to tell you that these implants were designed to alter the way your brain functions. By shunting bioelectricity to specific parts of your brain, they were able to influence your thoughts and feelings. It would explain why none of you ever questioned the city's trust in you, and why you remained so committed to it."

Raven stared blankly at the implants on the desk, fighting desperately to keep her emotions under control. Every fibre of her being rebelled against what she was being told, and she searched desperately for some way to deny it. "All of this evidence could be faked, Slade" She said at last, a twinge of pride blossoming in her chest at just how neutral she kept her voice. "Documents can be written by anyone, photographs can be shopped, and those things there could be anything."

"I see. I want you to know that I take no pleasure in this." Slade sighed as he rose from his chair. Moving to a far wall, he switched on a screen affixed to the wood panelling. He pressed a button underneath the screen, and an image of Raven shone out.

From somewhere off-screen, a voice spoke. A voice Raven almost recognized…

"_This is Jerome McGruder, collecting the report of Raven for the month of April. Raven, tell me everything of importance that occurred this month."_

Raven gave a start. Two things about that statement frightened her. First and foremost, Raven had absolutely no memory of this. Thanks to Azarathian training, Raven's memory was exceptional- even now, months later, she could recall where she had been for most days in April, and this meeting did not feature in her recollections. Secondly, Jerome McGruder was the head of the city safety commission- a powerful man in the municipal government.

On the screen, Raven blinked once before speaking, though her gaze never wavered from the camera.

"_Little of importance occurred in the last month."_ Her voice was flat and cold- not her usual restrained monotone. This was more like the speech of a machine than a human being. _"Robin continues to work on assembling the Titans North, while investigating the strange crimes that have been committed lately. I have helped by consulting on the plans for the new teams base. We are attempting to incorporate mystical wards directly into the structure. The other Titans continue with their normal duties- training, patrolling, and intervening when necessary."_

"_I see."_ McGruder said, his tone contemplative. _"And aside from work? Has Garfield's absence affected the team's social activities?"_

"_Cyborg and Robin continue their prank war"_ Screen-Raven droned. _"Robin has been taking Starfire to various museums and galleries to broaden her education."_

"_Excellent. If the alien learns to respect our culture, she'll be less likely to act against us" _McGruder mused. _"Continue."_

"_Batgirl continues to form connections to the rest of the team. She has told me that this is as close as she has ever gotten to anyone outside of the Gotham vigilantes."_ Screen-Raven droned, still not blinking as she stared at the camera. _"I have been visiting Garfield at the hospital. His recovery proceeds well."_

"_Have the two of you been sexually intimate?"_ McGruder asked.

"_No. I do not feel ready for that step yet."_ Screen-Raven replied, her voice still cold and distant. _"Garfield respects my feelings."_

"_I see. Interesting."_ The councillor mused. _"I would have thought his bestial instincts made that level of self-restraint impossible. Very well. Raven, return to your room in Titans Tower. Forget that you left it to come here- instead, you spent the afternoon meditating. I will be interviewing Robin tomorrow morning- neither you nor any of the others are to question his absence during that time. Is this understood?"_

"_Understood."_ Screen-Raven said before teleporting away. With her gone, the video shut off.

The real Raven sat in stunned silence. It was all true. Everything Slade had said was true. Her mind

reeled under the weight of this revelation. Slade moved to her side and tapped her shoulder.

"Raven, I understand that you're somewhat shocked at what you've learned. Would it be all right if I called Garfield in here?" Slade asked. "He's likely convinced himself that you hate him. I think it would be best if you dispelled that idea- best for him and best for you."

"I have a few more questions before you do." Raven replied, her voice betraying just how shaken she felt. Despite that, she was too disciplined to allow her disorientation to affect her decisions. "If you really had our best interests in mind, why attack us?"

"I wasn't trying to attack the Titans. I was trying to CONVERT the Titans, as a way to force the cabal's hand." Slade answered "My goal was always to shake the group's faith in its control devices. If I could turn one of the Titans away, or turn the team against itself, it would show them that their control was not as firm as they thought. The devices never granted rigid control- which is why I was able to turn Robin, however briefly. I believe that what you saw on that screen was the result of hypnotic conditioning or drug treatment- both of which can be broken. If I could shake their faith, I could scare them into making a mistake- one that would allow me to expose them. Trust me, if I'd wanted the Titans dead, then you would be dead."

"I…see." Raven said. "What about your alliance with my father? How do you explain that? Hardly the act of a patriot is it? More like someone hungry for power"

"I've always been a mercenary, it's true, but I cherish my independence. The idea of giving myself over to a demonic overlord was hardly an appealing one." For the first time since she'd woken up, Slade's confident and assured face slipped. He suddenly appeared frightened, and hurt. "You know your father better than anyone. Why would he look for a volunteer, when his magic allows him to simply FORCE someone to obey him? With the time of the prophecy nearing, he had enough power to meddle with my mind- to turn me into little more than a puppet. You of all people know he's capable of that. It took a long time to get over that feeling, much longer than it took me to recover from my physical wounds."

Raven had been scrutinizing Slade as he answered this question, and was forced to conclude that he was telling the truth. Certainly, it rang true with what she knew of both Slade and Trigon- the former was known for his independence, while the latter did not take no for an answer. Which likely meant the rest of what he said was true, as well. Raven heaved a sigh.

"I believe you." Raven said "And I forgive you for your part in what happened on my birthday. Call Garfield in, it seems we've got some talking to do."

Beastboy was in the storage room, putting away the loot from the museum heist. Slade had explained to him early on that he planned to return everything he stole, as soon as he was certain his task was complete. Of course, Beastboy had scoffed at that- scoffed, that is, until he'd been shown the storage vault. The massive chamber was packed with pilfered goods, all meticulously organized and labelled. He'd spent an hour going through it, and was forced to conclude that, indeed, almost everything Slade had stolen was there. Each piece boasted a carefully written label which detailed who it had been taken from, when it had been taken, and an estimate of its approximate value. Today, Beastboy was carefully arranging the stolen statues from the museum in their correct place in the vault- or at least, that was what he was supposed to be doing.

In actuality, Beastboy found himself mentally replaying his brief conversation with Raven over and over again. The look of betrayal, of HATE, on her face was like a knife in his heart. This sensation was only made worse by the knowledge that every bit of it was deserved. He'd abused her trust in him, used her feelings to create a moment of vulnerability to be exploited. Even if his cause had been good, there was no excuse for that kind of manipulation. He was no better than Melchior.

His moping was interrupted by a chiming sound coming from his pocket. Reaching within, the shapeshifter pulled out his new communicator. It was a red disc, with a jagged yellow S in the center. He still hadn't decided whether or not 'Slade-munnicator' was a good nickname for it or not, but he was glad to see it worked. Tapping the S to open the link, he raised it to his mouth.

"Um, yeah? I'm not finished the sorting yet, if that's what you want boss." He said, a tad hesitantly. Despite everything, it still felt weird to call Slade 'boss', but it was slightly less weird than calling him by name.

"I wasn't, particularly." Came the reply. "Garfield, Raven would like to speak to you. Could-"

Whatever Slade intended to say went unheard, as Beastboy dashed out of the vault so fast he left his communicator behind. Racing through the halls, the green boy made it to what Slade referred to as his office in less than two minutes.

"You- You wanted to… to see me, Raven?" He gasped out, winded by his headlong dash.

"Yes. Um. Slade, this will be rather personal. Would you mind…?" Raven asked.

"Of course." The mercenary replied, rising from his chair and heading for the door. "Dinner will be served in an hour or so. Gar, if you could escort Raven to the dining room when the time comes? Perhaps even give her a tour of our little set-up?"

"Sure thing, boss" the changeling said, his eyes never leaving the empath. Slade merely chuckled (a bizarre sound in its own right) and left the room, leaving the two heroes alone.

"So…" Raven began, then paused. She realized she really didn't know how to put this.

"So, I'm guessing Slade gave you 'The Talk'?" Beastboy said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Wait- not 'The Talk', 'cuz I'm guessin' you got that when you were twelve or so. I mean, he explained what's going on?"

"Yes, he did." Raven said, and forced herself to continue. "Gar, I said some truly awful things to you before…"

"Wait! Don't apologize!" Beastboy cried, holding up a hand to stop her. "I was wrong- I should have found another way to bring you here. I-I just wanted to see you so badly…"

Raven pulled the green boy into a fierce hug, cutting off his protests. "I wanted to see you, too, Gar. I've missed you so much. I forgive you." Releasing her boyfriend, the empath took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions before speaking again. "But before we go any further, there's something we have to discuss. It has to do with… with my hair situation."

The effect on Beastboy was instantaneous. His eyes became shifty, sliding around the room in a desperate attempt to avoid her gaze. His fingers began to twitch and fidget, while sweat broke out on his forehead. "I… I guess they had to shave your head before they could remove the chip. Don't worry, it'll grow back just like mine did."

"That's not what I mean, Gar. Slade's medication surpressed my conscious abilities, but not my empathy. I know what you feel when you look at me." Raven said, allowing herself a smirk "When were you going to tell me you found bald girls attractive?"

Beastboy hung his head in embarrassment. "I didn't know until just now." He said quietly. "The first thing I thought when I saw you was how hot it made you look."

Raven felt moved to pity and leaned forward to give the changeling a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry about it- we all have our little kinks. Before you ask, no I'm not telling you mine just now." Straightening back up, she ran a hand over her bare scalp. It felt…odd. Her hand was warmer than the air in the room, and caused a not-unpleasant tingling sensation as it trailed across her skull. "But I hope you enjoyed it while you could, because I don't like how it looks."

Sitting down cross legged on the floor, Raven closed her eyes. She entered a trance state, and began to assert conscious control over her body's unconscious functions. Specifically, she sped up the growth rate of her hair. In seconds, new hair began to sprout on her scalp. Within minutes, her hair was back to it's usual length. Opening her eyes, Raven mentally reached out to her boyfriend. Beastboy was a bit disappointed, but still radiated happiness- happiness at being forgiven, and happiness at having her back. She permitted herself a small smile and took his gloved hand in her own.

"Now, how about that tour?"

A/N  
>It always bugged me how much the Titans got away with. No matter how they acted, or who turned to evil, there were never any external consequences to their actions. No police lectures, no mention of negative press, no CADMUS. I mean, I know the tone was supposed to be different from JLU, but still.<p>

Then I thought 'What if there's a REASON the authorities don't question the Titan's loyalties?'. Hence, this.


	19. Chapter 19

The tour of Slade's base was interesting, to say the least. Raven was surprised to see that the former mercenary had set up his base inside (and beneath) a small, three story apartment building near the university campus. The small team of henchmen and henchwomen all went about in ordinary clothes, looking for all the world like a group of slightly-older-than-normal college students. The above-ground portion of the base was mainly used for living quarters for the henchmen and storage of non-critical documents. Raven had to admit, she was surprised by how… ordinary things were there. She saw two people making pasta in a shared kitchen, another napping on a couch in the hallway. It was a very strange experience for her. Somehow she never pictured hired goons as having a life outside of assisting supervillains.

What surprised her even more was how Beastboy already seemed to know everybody- whenever they encountered someone, the changeling was quick to greet them by name and stopped a few times to chat with people, making them smile when he did. Raven had to suppress a smile of her own at that- it was classic Gar, unable to rest unless everyone was as happy as he was.

There was one moment of disappointment, however, when Raven asked to see what the place looked like from the outside, and Beastboy told her that wasn't permitted. She was simply too recognizable, both as a heroine and as a gray girl with violet hair. Although she wasn't yet allowed to go outside, Beastboy assured her that Slade and his scientists were working to reproduce Cyborg's holo-rings. Then, he told her shyly, he'd be happy to take her out on the town, if she still wanted him to. Raven assured him that she did, and the tour moved below ground.

Raven was astonished at the sheer size of the underground installation Slade had created so close to the center of Jump City. It was three stories deep, and each floor was about the size of a subway station. It was here that Slade stored the items that were too valuable or vulnerable to risk- the loot from his various crimes, his small Sladebot production facility (a far cry from the massive plant the Joker had destroyed), offices, labs, and living quarters for himself and the Titans. Beastboy proudly showed Raven to his own suite which had a bedroom, moderate living room, bathroom and kitchenette. While the rooms were nice enough, Raven couldn't help but notice that they seemed strangely Spartan. No posters adorned the walls, there were no photographs on any of the tables… even the floor was unusually clean, with none of Beastboy's usual collection of dirty clothes, used plates and comics. Raven didn't say anything at the time, since it was clear that Beastboy was extremely proud of his new room, but she made a mental note of it- if her room was going to be anything like this, she would need to acquire at least SOME decorations.

The last stop on their tour was on the very bottom floor- the training room. Raven was no expert in either physical conditioning or technology, but it seemed to her that this chamber far surpassed the Titans training room. One half of the room was taken up by a massive obstacle course, which featured such hazards as whirling blades, automated laser cannons and jets of flame. Across the room from that, was a complete set of weights and exercise machines as well as a variety of punching bags, training dummies, weapons racks, and speed bags. In the center of the room was an empty space, with a large white octagon painted on the floor. Inside of this octagon stood Slade, still without his mask, practicing with some kind of sword.

Raven had seen Robin practice with his bo staff many times, and had seen Nightwing training with his escrima sticks while in Gotham. She had supposed that they were the most impressive weapon users she would ever see- both of them mixed speed, skill, and strength to produce an amazingly effective fighting style. But what she saw on display now put both heroes to shame. Slade's blade work transcended the merely effective, beyond mere skill, becoming something breathtakingly beautiful. The light danced across the darting sword, flashing and glinting as the former mercenary moved through an imagined duel. His foot work was constantly shifting, yet flawlessly rhythmic- reminding the empath far more of a dancer than a fighter. What made the whole thing even more impressive was that Slade seemed to be unaware of their presence, lost in his exercise. He wasn't trying to show off for them, this was simply the way he trained at all times.

Beastboy brought her out of her reverie with a gentle nudge in the shoulder. "Been staring for a while there, Rae. Should I be jealous?" He quipped with a smile "Just kiddin' ya- I know he's impressive when he gets like this."

At the sound of their voices Slade spun around and sheathed his sword in a scabbard at his back. "I wasn't aware I had an audience." He said, using a nearby towel to wipe off his face. "I assumed you two would still be… (ahem) touring?"

"Yeah, well…" Beastboy said, rubbing the back of his head. "Tour went kinda faster than I expected- not a whole lot of stuff to see here, y'know? Figured I'd come do some training."

Raven's jaw dropped and she whirled around to stare at the green boy. "You… wanted to train? Without anyone forcing you? When you've been given free time?" Clapping a hand to his forehead, Raven grimaced. "You don't have a fever… Did you hit your head earlier?"

Still smiling, Beastboy pushed her hand away. "C'mon, Rae. You know how serious things are- our best friends are being mind-controlled by some faceless bean-counters. I gotta get serious if we wanna save 'em, even if that does mean training when I wanna veg out." _And it means I get to show off a bit in front of my girl_ he thought to himself.

"Well, if that's what you want." Slade said with a shrug, and a small grin. "Move into the training circle and we'll begin. Raven, do you feel up to some light exercise as well?"

"Actually, I've more or less recovered completely. I used the time we were walking around the base to heal my body, using techniques I learned in Azerath. Normally, I'd have preferred to let my body heal itself naturally, but Beastboy's right- this isn't the time to slack off." Raven replied. "Also, that is an octagon."

"Yes, well, Training Octagon just sounds silly, doesn't it?" Slade said, with a touch of (could it be?) good humor in his voice. "Garfield, why don't you do some warm ups while I see what Raven can do on the obstacle course."

"You got it" the changeling said, beginning to stretch his arms behind his back. "Good luck, Rae"

Moving to Slade's side, Raven took in the whole of the obstacle course and gulped. It wasn't that the hazards were more dangerous than the one at Titans Tower- but there were more of them, and the most dangerous ones were set at the end, meaning she would have to face them tired. Slade reached into a pocket to withdraw a stopwatch. Turning to Raven, he favored her with a smile.

"I'm quite proud of this obstacle course, you know. I designed it myself to be able to test the participant to their physical limits, while also having variable settings to ensure that 'very difficult' never becomes impossible. Right now, I have it on a medium setting due to your recent recovery." Slade held up the stopwatch before continuing. "I hope you don't mind if I time you this first run? I want to know how quick you are before I begin planning your training. Start whenever you're ready, and make your way to the other side as fast as possible."

Raven took a moment to study the course. It wasn't the individual hazards that gave her pause- over the years, Robin's various training programs had incorporated all kinds of dangers and obstacles. But never had she faced a course that had so MANY dangerous elements- that was important, since every obstacle she overcame would tire her, making the next challenges even harder. For a moment, she considered backing down and saying she wasn't ready just yet. But her pride wouldn't let her- she refused to look like some kind of fainting blossom, especially in front of her boyfriend. Taking a deep breath, Raven jogged into the course.

The first obstacle was a series of electrified floor plates, which flipped on and off in a clear pattern. Raven took a second to be sure she had the rhythm down right, then began hopping from one plate to another, careful to avoid any of the electrified ones. Once past that, the empath was faced with a long stretch of whirling blades- some were set at knee height, others at head- or waist- height. They were not set in any sort of pattern, however, which made this a test of reflexes. Raven raced ahead, leaping over or ducking under the blades as she reached them. Although she was no acrobat or gymnast, years of crime fighting had honed her reflexes to an incredible degree, allowing her to pass that section with no more than a few cuts and scrapes. This was followed by a set of crushing metal panels, which slammed together every few seconds- allowing Raven to dart between them as they pulled apart.

Raven took a moment to catch her breath, and to survey the next challenge- a bank of automated laser turrets, staggered down a length of the course. Each turret was set at a slightly different height with a bit of space between them, much like the spinning blades from earlier. Clearly, this obstacle was designed to force the challenger to jump, dodge and duck at lightning speed to avoid being shot while giving a bit of time between blasts to allow them to decide which maneuver to use for the next turret.

The problem was that, by this point, Raven wasn't sure if she could do that- the spinning blades had taxed her already tired muscles greatly, and the cuts she'd received had only weakened her further. She considered taking some time to rest and heal herself, but remembered Slade's stopwatch- he'd said that he'd be using her performance here to construct her training program. If she was going to be ready to rescue her friends, she needed to train hard. If she rested now, the program would wind up being easier than it should be, so she decided to press on. Fortunately, Slade had not said anything about not using her powers…

With a thought, Raven encased herself in a black glowing forcefield and dashed through the gauntlet. Laser blasts splashed harmlessly against her psychic shield, eliciting no more than a mild twinge with each impact- apparently, Slade had set the lasers to a very low level, so as not to risk her health. Once she was through that, there followed a section of swinging pendulums. Each blade moved at a slightly different speed, so Raven had to move carefully- dashing through one, then pausing until it was safe to proceed. Start-and-stop running being more wearing than a straight dash, Raven was gasping for breath by the time she reached the last obstacle- the flame jets.

There were four jets of flame, roaring out of either side of the track. Two were set at shoulder height, the other two at just below waist height. Raven had to stop for a moment to figure out how to get by, her mind fogged with fatigue. It came to her at last that she was meant to dive between the flames- indeed, there was even enough space for her to take a running start. Once again, she considered whether she could manage it at this point and was forced to conclude that no, she could not. Her body was too tired to manage a leap that precise, and her mind wasn't up to making the calculations necessary. Furthermore, she realized she wasn't sure she could manage to shield herself from the fire- unlike the laser cannons, they would be hot enough to kill and her mental focus wasn't what it should have been at the moment. That left her with one option, but it was technically cheating. She took a deep breath, summoned her soul-self…

…and teleported to the other side of the barrier. She sank to her knees and drew in a deep, shuddering breath. Slade, who had walked around the course to meet her on the other side, clicked his stop watch and shook his head in disapproval.

"Far too long." He said, and now his voice sounded more like the Slade she knew: Cold, superior, and emotionless. "Furthermore, you failed the test entirely."

"W-What?" Raven gasped, shocked. "How can I have failed? I reached the other side, so by definition I passed the course. My time may have been too long…"

"That was not the point." Slade interrupted her. He turned to Beastboy who was jogging around the room. "Garfield, I want you to go through the course. Make it to the other side as quickly as possible- show Raven how it's done."

"Gotcha!" the changeling called, and raced over to the start of the obstacle course. Once there, he called back to them "All right, here I go!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth then the green boy changed into a green eagle. Taking wing, he flew swiftly over all the obstacles before landing in front of Raven and changing back. With a cheeky grin, he leaned forward. "What? No kiss for the winner?"

Raven rolled her eyes and gently pushed him back. "But he didn't run the course or face the obstacles…" Suddenly, she facepalmed. "…And it just occurred to me that you never said I needed to do that either. Just to get to the other side as fast as possible."

Slade nodded. "That's exactly right. Raven, this was never about testing your physical abilities- even if you are well enough to run the course, I don't believe for a minute that you've healed enough to give you best performance. More than that, you aren't a physical fighter, but rely on your powers in battle AS YOU SHOULD. This was about seeing how MENTALLY quick you are; more specifically, how good you are at unconventional thinking. In that light, your result can't be anything other than a failure- you took my instructions literally, and the test, at face value without considering any other interpretations."

"I see" Raven sighed. "Well, I suppose that will teach me to think more carefully."

"Dudes, as much as I love hearing Raven admit she didn't think something through" Beastboy interjected with a wink to the dark girl "I'm starvin'. Whattaya say we continue this over supper? I'll do my training later tonight."

"A fine idea" Slade agreed "Let's shower off, change clothes, and meet in the dining room in ten minutes?"

The meal was a simple one- pasta with cream sauce, salad and bread. As they ate, Slade and Beastboy engaged in what seemed to be a long-running debate on which part of Africa was best for safari. Slade maintained that the savannah regions were the ideal place to truly experience the wildlife of the continent, and to get a picture of the rich cultures that dwelt there. Beastboy's opinion was that the rainforest, with its lush flora and fauna, provided a richer experience.

"I'm sorry Garfield, there's simply no comparison" Slade said, gesturing with his fork. "The sunrise over the grasslands is, without a doubt, the most beautiful sight to be seen in Africa. The huge orb of the sun rising from the endless horizon, turning everything the eye can see a beautiful reddish-gold…"

"I'll agree that that's beautiful" Beastboy countered. "But, c'mon, dude! Morning in the jungle- the air is full of the scent of flowers and growth, brightly colored birds and bugs darting this way and that, the air is warm but not yet muggy. The diurnal animals are just waking up, while the nocturnal ones are bedding down… it's perfect! Plus, how can all that plant-life not… grow on you?"

At that last remark, he'd turned to grin at Raven. He expected her to roll her eyes at the pun, or make some crack about his 'sense of so-called humor'. Instead she smiled widely and chuckled. Beastboy felt his jaw drop, but quickly pulled himself together. There was something wrong here… "Hey, Raven?" He said "What did one snowman say to the other? Hey do you smell carrots?"

The empath snickered and grinned even wider. Beastboy leaned back in his chair, puzzled by this. After a few moments of silence, Slade spoke again.

"Well, Raven, I see that you found the clothing Garfield and I had made for you?" He said, pausig to take a last bite of salad. "My apologies if it isn't quite so good as your usual outfits, but we had to make do with normal materials. We also had to guess at your sizes, a process your boyfriend found extremely embarrassing."

"Yeah, the clothes are fine, if a little scratchy. My normal clothing is made from Azerathian silk" Raven said, reluctantly dragging her gaze away from the contemplative changeling. "I have some more back at the Tower, with the rest of my things. Which reminds me there are some items in my room that I really do need…"

"Say no more." The older man interrupted, putting up one hand. Putting his cutlery aside next to his empty plate, he rose from the table. "Garfield already told me about your requirements. You won't be without your things for long, I assure you. For now, why don't you and Garfield get reacquainted? I'm going to resume my own training."

When Slade left, Raven turned back to Beastboy, whose face showed extreme concentration. That gave Raven pause; normally, the changeling only got that expression when things were really dangerous- or when trying to do long division. Reaching out, she gently tapped him on one shoulder to get his attention, intending to ask him what was wrong. However, before she could speak, Beastboy beat her to it.

"Raven, why did you pretend to laugh at my jokes?" He said quietly and without looking at her.

"What?" the empath sputtered. "I didn't! I thought you were being funny, for once!"

"Raven, c'mon- those jokes were super-lame. I've told you dozens of WAY better gags than those, without so much as a smile from you." Beastboy retorted. "Plus, I know when you think stuff's funny. Even if you don't laugh or smile, your eyes get this cute kinda twinkle in them and your mouth twitches- like you're forcing yourself not to smile. None of that happened just now, so I know you didn't really think it was funny. So why did you fake it?"

Raven considered lying- she wasn't proud of it, but it occurred to her that it might make her boyfriend happier. But she decided against that- Beastboy might not be educated, but he wasn't stupid either and sooner or later he'd find out the truth. She sighed before mumbling "I wanted to be a better girlfriend for you."

"Uh…." Beastboy was slack-jawed at that. "Say what, Rae?"

"I'm serious." Raven said, her face reddening. "I had a lot of time to think while you were… while you were away. I thought back on all the times you tried to make me smile, to make me laugh, and all you ever got was insults and sarcasm. I never told you how much it meant to me that your kept trying, even when your jokes were awful. So I decided that I would be better- that I would show you how much you mean to me, and not insult you anymore."

"Rae, Rae, Rae…" Beastboy said, shaking his head and scooting his chair over to her side. "I wanted to make you smile because I wanted you to be happy- fake smiles and fake laughs don't cut it. The insults and sarcasm? That's part of who we are- it's our thing!"

"Our…thing?" Raven repeated uncertainly.

"Yeah! Starfire and Robin have that whole lovey-dovey, smoochy-woochy, mwah-mwah-mwah thing going on, and we got our thing! I tell you dumb jokes and you make fun of me for it!"

"And you're…okay with that?" The empath said, unsure she believed this was happening. The green boy was describing what seemed like an abusive relationship (at least to her) but he seemed totally thrilled with it.

"Of course I am! I mean, it's not like you mean any of the stuff you call me right?" Beastboy said "They're just your way of joking around, and they're really funny sometimes. I like puns, you like insult humor and we share what we like. What's wrong with that?"

"Huh. I… I honestly never thought about it like that." Raven said, scratching her chin in thought. "So, you want me to mock you?"

"Just so long as you don't do it around strangers who might take it serious, I'll take real snark over fake smiles any day of the week" Beastboy confirmed.

"Deal." Raven said, a small-but-genuine smile on her face.

A/N  
>A little pause, a little character time. Soon the action will begin again.<p>

Also I finally saw Titans Go! It's different, but not bad. I like the humor (and the BB-Rae stuff).


	20. Chapter 20

-Robin training, discusses plans for finding Raven, combatting Beastboy. Says he'll go to bed soon.

-Silkie looking for BB, finds him just as he's about to drug Robin- makes loud noise waking Robin

Starfire wandered the halls of Titan's Tower

"SIIILL-KEEE" Starfire called as she moved through the hall of the Tower. "SILLL-KEE! This has ceased to be amusing, Silkie! To where have you gone?"

The alien princess had been searching for her pet for more than four hours now. It was quite strange, really. Since being 'rescued' from the walls of the Tower, the larva had been extraordinarily affectionate- following her all around the Tower and more than once having to be physically prevented from following her out on patrol. Yet for the last few days the tiny worm had been distant- he'd still been around the Tower, but hadn't paid her much attention. She had not seen him at all since last night. Starfire had begun to worry when he failed to arrive for his dinner- normally the highlight of his day. She had gone about her search methodically, beginning in the basement and slowly working her way up floor by floor. She had chosen to do this alone, reasoning that her friends would still be worn out from their recent efforts to find their friends. So it was that she found herself all alone in a darkened hallway, in a section of the Tower that was rarely in use.

She wasn't frightened, of course. Certainly not! Tamaranian's were a fierce warrior people, and their princess was the most fearless of all! She could hardly be frightened just because she was all alone in a dark and unfamiliar hallway, in the middle of the night. The very idea was laughable! She was however, more alert. Her every sense raised to its highest level… not out of nerves or any such thing, naturally, but out of focus on her search. So focused was she, in fact, that when she heard a sudden thump coming from one of the rooms which lined the corridor, she leapt high into the air and gave voice to a mighty battle-cry (which, admittedly, might have sounded to the uninitiated like a shriek).

Composing herself, Starfire crept up to the doorway and pressed her ear against the shut portal. Sure enough she could hear loud thumps and bumps coming from within. Clearly, her little bumgorf had wandered into an empty chamber and become trapped inside. Her first impulse was to race inside, rescue her precious pet, and shower him with affection and reassurances. But she forced herself to resist- Silkie had been most naughty and she needed to be stern with him, to prevent him from wandering around the empty spaces of the Tower again. She took a deep breath and burst into the room.

"You have been a very naughty boy!" She exclaimed, before noticing that Silkie was nowhere within.

Robin, who had been starting a handspring when the angry alien came in, tumbled forward onto his face. "GAH!" he exclaimed, rubbing his newly sore nose. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know we said I was going to bed early but I just felt like I NEEDED to train!"

"Um, in truth, Robin I did not come here seeking you" Starfire said, a bit puzzled by this turn of events. "I have been seeking Silkie for many hours. You see, he did not come when I called him for his evening meal and so I went in search of him. I am afraid that he may be lost within the Tower once more, and I do not wish him to enter the walls."

"Oh, is that all?" Robin said, visibly relieved. "Well, I haven't seen him. Just let me shower up and I'll help you- uh, is something wrong?"

Starfire's face had darkened as a thought had occurred to you. "Wait a moment. You told us at dinner that you had not the energy to partake in relaxation time this evening, and that instead you would go to bed early. You said something similar two nights ago- and several days before that. Have you been lying to us- to ME- so that you could sneak away and train?"

"Err.." Robin said, sweating as he tried desperately to explain his actions.

"I do not wish to hear it. You will go to your bed at once, and rest in preparation for tomorrow's work. If you seem less than completely rested tomorrow morning, I shall be most angry with you." Starfire stated, pointing imperiously to the door. "Further, you shall not lie to me again- if you truly wish to train, you must say so. We will train together, so that I may be certain you are not pushing yourself too hard, and relax afterwards. Now go!"

Robin's feet were moving before his brain could even process what his girlfriend had said, much less formulate any sort of counter-argument. It was only later, as he got ready for bed that he realized why that was. Starfire had been trained almost from birth to rule a planet- the habits of nobility were so much a part of her that on the very rare occasions when she issued commands it was almost impossible to resist her. It was, he reflected, a good thing she didn't issue commands very often, otherwise she'd probably rule the world.

Back in his impromptu training room, Starfire let out a long sigh and resumed her search for Silkie. "He lies to his friends, avoids relaxation and hides in an isolated part of the Tower, all so he can work himself to exhaustion." she muttered to herself in Tamaranian "Why couldn't you have fallen in love with a normal human, Koriand'r? Now, where to find Silkie? I wonder why it has been so difficult to find him."

As the alien girl floated away, a set of segmented eyes watched her go, hidden within the darkness of an air vent. When he judged her far away enough for safety, Silkie wriggled out of the vent and dropped to the floor. Silkie was not lost. In truth, Starfire's beloved larva was actively hiding from her.

To understand why, it is important to understand Silkie's brain. When he had created X-239 as a pet for his daughter, Killer Moth had known that simply giving her a normal moth caterpillar wouldn't do. Even he understood that a mindless, emotionless insect was hardly the sort of thing a young woman would warm to (even if he couldn't see why not). So he had altered his creations brain, adding elements of canine and simian DNA to create an intelligent and loving larva. The result was a bug that was as friendly and affectionate as any pup- as anyone who'd ever met the little fellow knew. But it also resulted in him having a unique understanding of families, and of his second family in particular.

Silkie had noticed that, although his swarm/pack had returned, the Green Father (as he thought of Beastboy) was missing. Silkie wasn't worried- his swarm/pack was strong and he knew the Green Father would return safely. But his absence was making the Mother/Queen very upset, and that was something Silkie would not allow. The pair of them had cared for him all his life (or as much of it as he could remember) and he loved them more than anyone else in the world. He had taken several days to decide what to do about this, time when he distanced himself from the Mother/Queen so as to be able to focus on his dilemma. Eventually, he concluded there was only one thing to be done. Mustering his courage, the little larva set out into the world to find his green father. Unfortunately (or not) for him, Silkie had very little memory of his life before the Titans- to his mind, the Tower comprised the entirety of the world. Thus it had never occurred to him to extend his search beyond the building he called home.

He had started in the Room of The Ever-Changing Window. He knew that Green Father and Metal Brother would often spend hours and hours pressing buttons and making the Window change, sometimes yelling at one another for no reason Silkie could see. But there was no trace of his quarry. He moved to the Room Of Bountiful Snacks- Green Father would often be near the Cold Box, making himself a snack (which he'd usually share). But still no sign. Silkie would have to venture into the uncharted depths of the World.

So it was that Silkie crawled through the Tower, keeping to the shadows to avoid his swarm/pack. They were all very busy with… something… and didn't need to be disturbed by the baby (as he thought of himself). No, this would be Silkie's task, his mission, and his quest. Above all else, however, it was his chance to prove to the Mother/Queen once and for all that he was a Good Boy.

He swept his antennae across the floor of every hallway and room, using the olfactory organs on each to 'sniff' for his green father's unique scent. He found nothing. He crawled through air vents and pipes, knowing his quarry could somehow become other creatures. He found nothing. He strained his setae to their limit, using the tiny hairs to seek the tell-tale sign of the green father's laughter. He found nothing. Still, insects are nothing if not persistent and Silkie pressed on, regardless.

It would be impossible to say exactly how long he searched, for Silkie had no real concept of Time. All he knew was he had been searching for a Long While- at least one meal and two snacks. In his hearts he was beginning to think the Green Father might have departed the World, to whatever lay beyond the Great Portals. But, as he passed through the den/nesting area his left antenna suddenly caught a familiar scent, indistinct but recognizable. In an instant, both of his antennae were up and quivering. Forcing himself to be slow, Silkie methodically swept the sensitive protrusions back and forth through the air, seeking the source of the odour. He panned it across the hallway- not from Metal Brother's room, not from Quiet Female's room… it seemed to be coming from the Consort's room. Silkie rarely went in there- the Consort didn't really seem to like him, probably because he wanted the mother/queen's affection all to himself. But now was not the time to be put off by the Consort's attitude. With renewed energy, he coiled his body beneath him before springing into the air to hit the button which opened the door.

He entered the room slowly, letting his eyes adapt to the darkness within. As he moved inside of the room, the scent of the Green Father became slightly stronger. Turning his head this way and that, Silkie saw a bright green mouse emerge from a vent. Its form blurred and swelled, solidifying into the familiar form of the Green Father- larger and more muscular than Silkie remembered, but undeniably him. Silkie let out a burble of joy and leapt onto his caretaker to give him a warm welcome home.

Robin was a light sleeper. That hadn't always been the case- his dad (his REAL dad) used to joke that he'd been the only baby in the world that could sleep through a diaper change. Years of training with one of the world's greatest paranoiacs (justified paranoia but still paranoia) had eliminated that problem. As his mentor had said, and as life had proven, a crime fighter had to be ready to defend himself at any time. There were downsides to this training, of course. Many were the nights that Robin had been jarred awake, adrenaline surging as he prepared to fight, only to discover that he'd been awakened by the sound of rain hitting his window. Still, it was a skill that served him well that night, when soft thud catapulted him into wakefulness.

The first thing he noticed was a green boy in a red-and-white outfit standing over his bed, while an enthusiastic larva slobbered on his green cheek. The second thing he noticed was the large hypodermic in the boy's hand. Years of training came into play, and Robin surged into motion. His foot lashed out, kicking the needle out of Beastboy's grip and sending it clattering against the far wall. He let the kick spin his body around until he rested on his stomach, before pushing himself off the bed and into a fighting crouch. In one swift motion, he grabbed two shirts from the floor and twirled them so that they were wrapped around his bare arms, protecting them from any more poisonous attacks.

Beastboy had, by now, shaken Silkie off and was edging towards the door. "Um…. This is all a dreeeaam!" the green boy exclaimed in what he no doubt thought was a 'spooky' voice. "Go back to bed!"

In response, Robin spun about with one leg extended, trying to sweep his opponent to the ground. To his surprise, the changeling sprang back with an agility he'd never demonstrated before. Robin considered pressing the attack, but held back- the last time he'd been impulsive and tried to fight his former team mate alone, he'd regretted it almost immediately. Instead he grabbed his communicator from a nearby table and opened a team-wide link.

"Robin to all Titans- Beastboy is in my room. I need backup NOW!" he barked. "We're going to end this right now!"

"Oh, dang." The changeling said with a wince. "I can't stay for this, Rob. I'd like to take you with us- but I can't risk getting caught now. Too much at stake y'know?"

Robin's hand darted to his utility belt and withdrew a freeze disc. As soon as he had it in hand, he hurled it at his opponent, intending to freeze Beastboy to the spot. Instead, the disc passed through empty air as the green boy transformed into a housefly, colliding with the door to his room and freezing it shut. Robin leapt forward, hoping to catch the green fly before it got a way, but it simply buzzed into a nearby air vent. Instead, the Boy Wonder crashed head-first into the wall. With a curse, he sat back and reached for his communicator.

"Titans, he's out in the Tower. Find him! We can't let him get away again!" Robin barked, before taking a deep breath. "Also, once you do catch him, I need someone to come let me out of my bedroom."

Raven wandered through her old room, slowly taking down various items and carefully placing them in a bag. She had been doing this for more than an hour, lingering a little over each memento and curio before slowly putting it away. Slade had allowed them to sneak into Titans Tower for just this purpose- he'd wanted them to feel at home in their new rooms, so he'd let them infiltrate their old home to take what they could. It had also been a way to test their ability to sneak past the Tower's security systems- something that could come in handy as their campaign progressed. Given that Raven had spent a long time upgrading the Tower's mystical defenses and integrating them into the more mundane security measures, it hadn't been too hard for her to find a way in. So, now she could savor her reunion with the small mementos which had come to mean surprisingly much to her.

Here was a sculpture she'd taken with her from Azerath. She could still remember the day she'd made it with her mother- one of the few memories she had of familial bonding. Here was that stupid stuffed chicken Beastboy had given her so long ago. Even before she'd developed feelings for the green boy, she'd treasured the toy as a symbol of how she'd made real friends on Earth. Here was a photo of her and the Titans, taken just after her sixteenth birthday- she often wished she'd kept her white cloak, but it had simply been impractical for use as a superheroine, being almost impossible to conceal or keep clean. So it went, each object bringing with it a host of memories.

Finally, Raven's fingers brushed against the handle of her magic mirrors- both her own and the special one she'd made for Beastboy. She swept the latter into her bag without much thought, but spent a moment lingering over her own. She had to admit she needed it- after such a long time without proper meditation and balancing her emotions, her mental state was becoming dangerously unbalanced. On the other hand, "dangerously unbalanced" for her was what other people called "normality". It was oddly pleasant to FEEL things for herself, rather than shunting the bulk of her emotions to her mirror-selves. Still, it was too big a risk to be allowed to continue indefinitely, and so she placed the mirror gently within her bag.

No sooner had she done so, however, than a green fly emerged from the duct and morphed into her boyfriend. He grabbed her and began to shake her, shake her so hard that the bag dropped to the floor, spilling out its contents.

"Rae we gotta go NOW!" the changeling cried. "C'MON C'MON C'MON!"

"B-eas-t B-oy s-t-op sh-ak-ing me!" she replied. When he did, she took a moment to clear her head before continuing. "Why do we have to leave now? We were supposed to sneak in, get our things and sneak out. The others shouldn't have even known we were here unless… unless…" She scowled at Beastboy, who suddenly couldn't meet her eyes. "What. Did. You. Do."

"I, um, I may have, sorta… tried to take Robin." He mumbled.

Raven didn't shout or scream. Her jaw didn't hit the ground nor did her eyes bulge. Such was the power of Azarathian self-control that she gave no sign of how incredibly shocked she was by this. "You did what?" was all she said.

"I- I was on my way back from me and Cy's room, when I started thinkin'…"

"Always a dangerous sign." Raven quipped with a smirk.

"Hey! Anyway, I started thinkin' that, if we grabbed Robin, we could make this whole thing a lot easier. Y'know, cause without a leader the Titans aren't as effective." Beastboy said "So, I went by Rob's room and sure enough he was sleeping. So I took one of those needles Slade gave us- the sleeping ones?- and I crept up on his bed. It all looked like it was gonna go great, but then Silkie tackled me. While he was slobberin' all over me, Rob woke up and… well, I was lucky to get away. Now the other Titans are gonna be looking for us and we gotta GO!"

"All right, all right. Let me grab my things and we'll go- but we're NOT going to be coming back for your things." Raven said with a warning glare as she bent over to pick up her belongings. "I don't think the others will think to look here, and if they do the lock on the door will keep them from sneaking up on us."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Beastboy said, hopping from one foot to the other in impatience and nervousness "Let's just get going, okay?"

"All right, I think that's everything." Raven said at last, closing the bag. "Now we can go"

"Good, lets do." Beastboy said, stepping close to her. He gave her a wan smile. "I AM sorry I messed up, Rae."

Raven gave him a half-smile, half-smirk. "I'm used to it." Was all she said before her soul-self manifested and the two teleported away.

Beneath Raven's bed, a small hand-mirror glinted with reflected light…

A/N  
>Well, I for one never knew much about insect sensory organs until this chapter. Setae are tiny hairs which caterpillars (both butterfly and moth) use to capture sound vibrations- to 'hear'. I also learned that they have multiple hearts. Amazing.<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Raven and Beastboy emerged from a shrieking black bird composed of psychic energy into a darkened bedroom. The green boy shivered, rubbing his arms despite the warm climate of the room.

"Brr… I don't think I'm EVER gonna get used to that, Rae" He said "It's super convenient, but kinda creepy too."

"So nice to know that my boyfriend considers the true essence of my soul to be creepy." Raven droned, moving her sack of objects to one corner of her bedroom. "I guess you're just as sensitive as you are smart, and only a little smarter than you are funny."

"Aw, c'mon Rae!" Beastboy protested, placing his hands on her shoulders "You know I didn't mean it like that! I just… hey, wait…"

Raven turned to face her boyfriend, a sardonic smirk on her lips. "Just getting back to 'our thing', as you called it."

"Ah, there's the sarcastic, mean Raven I fell in love with." Beastboy said with a smile. He leaned in to hug her, only for Raven to deftly duck and weave under his arms.

"Before you start, you should go and explain to Slade just what happened and why the mission had to be cut short. You know, the SILENT and PEACEFUL mission to retrieve my magical equipment from the Tower which ended because you tried to capture Robin? On your own? Despite being ordered not to approach any of the other Titans?" the empath said, ignoring her boyfriend's wince. She knew he was embarrassed by his failure, but also knew that the only way he'd learn was to face his mistakes head on. She made a mental note to comfort him later.

Beastboy's shoulders slumped, and he turned to plod towards the door. At the threshold, he turned to address Raven once more. "If I don't come back, remember me as I was. Handsome, generous, funny…"

"…totally devoid of common sense, self-awareness or modesty." Raven finished with a softer and more affectionate smile. "Go."

When the door closed behind him, Raven turned to her reclaimed possessions. Slowly and carefully, she began to place them around the room, guiding her placement choices with the Azerathian art of Zra'Dhuir. Each item was placed in such a way as to maximize the mystical energy of the whole room, channeling positive influences and warding against negative one. This was essential for Raven, who needed to be sure that demonic influences were- if not completely blocked- at least hindered from access to her mind and soul. Eventually, though, it came time to take out her meditation mirror. Raven couldn't quite bring herself even to reach into the bag for it, much less take it out. Despite its importance, the dark empath found herself filled with conflicting emotions about the tiny object.

On the one hand, it was a severe disappointment that she still needed it. After her sixteenth birthday and the defeat of her father, she'd hoped that her dependence upon the mirror would end- that her need to keep her psyche in balance would be gone along with her prophesied doom. Holding the mirror reminded her that, whatever happened, her father's cursed influence would always be with her. But on the other hand, it really HAD been a trial to be without it. Though she had kept up with her normal meditation techniques, these had not been very helpful in maintaining her internal balance. The sad fact was that without regular mystical meditation, combined with journeys into Nevermore, Raven had found it difficult to keep herself under control. She'd felt far more emotional and prone to mood swings that left those around her puzzled, and left her feeling a little frightened.

Raven decided to compromise. She couldn't give up the mirror entirely, but maybe she could delay taking it out for one more night. Instead, she assumed the lotus position for a little traditional meditation.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

Down in the main base, Slade listened impassively as Beastboy related what had happened in the Tower, working a whetstone across the blade of his sword as he listened. The soft rasping sound seemed to disconcert the changeling, but to his credit Beastboy didn't falter in his recitation nor did he try to lie or create justifications about what had happened. When he finished, Slade slowly put down the stone and held his sword up to the light, examining the blade for scratches or notches.

Eventually Slade spoke, never taking his eye from the blade. "Your assignment was to go infiltrate Titans Tower, retrieve Raven's mystical tools and your own possessions. You were supposed to enter and exit without any of the Titans knowing you were there- in fact, I specifically told you not to make any contact with the Titans on this trip. By revealing yourself tonight, you not only ensured that the Titans would be on alert in the future, but that they would close the security loopholes that allowed you to enter the Tower undetected. The question I must ask is- why did you take the risk? Why did you decide to go after Robin despite being ordered not to engage?"

"Because I saw an opportunity to strengthen our team and cripple theirs." Beastboy responded frankly. "Without Robin, the Titans tend to be a little lost in the best of circumstances- no one is as confident or experienced a leader as he is. With him gone, and Raven and I on the other side, I think the Titans would have basically fallen apart- none of them would've been able to decide what to do next. I didn't think it was too risky, either- I can be real quiet when I wanna be, and Rob was fast asleep. It seemed like a pretty good balance of risk for reward, y'know? How was I supposed to know Silkie would wander into the room and tackle me? Ya can't predict that kinda thing, dude."

Slade nodded at this and lowered his sword down to the table. "That's true. Any situation will have all kinds of factors and possibilities which are beyond your ability to predict or control. That is precisely why sticking to the plan is so important- it minimizes the potential for things to go wrong."

"I gotcha." Beastboy said with a sigh "So, what's the punishment gonna be?"

"Punishment?" Slade repeated.

"Yeah, c'mon dude don't keep me in suspense here. Robin would always give me massive training routines as punishment when I messed up, Mento'd do the same but worse- so lay it on me. I'm ready to face the music." Beastboy closed his eyes, mentally bracing himself. The feeling of a hand gently resting on his shoulder caused him to open them again. He saw Slade looking at him with concern on his face.

"Beastboy, you made an error in judgment. You KNOW that what you did was inappropriate, and disciplining you like a child won't serve any useful function. If you want to do extra training, I certainly won't stop you, but neither will I order you to do it as though you were a school boy. Remember your error, learn from it, and don't repeat it. That is all I expect you to do about this mistake- we'll say no more about it." Slade moved to the door. "We'll reconvene after breakfast, and I will give you and Raven your mission for tomorrow night. I suggest you get some sleep, it will be a difficult one."

"Um, o-okay. Well, uh, g'night." Beastboy said hesitantly. It seemed unnatural to him- if you made a mistake, you had to pay for it. That was how Mento had run his team, and Robin had done the same. Still, he wasn't complaining. Although, maybe a little more training WAS called for. He should've done WAY better in that fight with Robin than he had- he didn't expect to WIN against the Boy Wonder, but he should've done better than that. Beastboy headed over to the training room, wondering idly if this was what maturity felt like.

* * *

><p>Back at the Tower, Robin convened an emergency meeting in the hallway outside his bedroom- it had to be held outside his bedroom because the Boy Wonder was having a bit more trouble than he'd expected getting through the thick ice that had encased his door. Robin had, to his chagrin, thrown one of his new experimental freeze discs- ones which used a different chemical mixture and which resulted in a much thicker coating of ice. Furthermore, neither Cyborg nor Starfire could simply blast through the icy blockade without seriously damaging the walls and door. Given what had just happened to him, Robin wasn't prepared to render his bedroom any less secure than it already was, and so the meeting consisted of Robin talking to his team through the ice, while every portable heater in the Tower worked to melt it. After giving his team mates a summary of the night's events, the Boy Wonder opened the floor to comments and questions.<p>

"I have a question. Kind of a big one." Batgirl said, taking care to speak loudly so that Robin could hear her. "How did Beastboy get into the Tower? Shouldn't the alarms have sounded?"

"Um… Not necessarily." Cyborg admitted sheepishly. "In all the craziness that's been goin' on, I kinda might have forgotten to reset the passwords and to deactivate BB and Rae's authorization codes. Far as the Tower's systems were concerned, the little green bean had every right to be here. I'll fix that as soon as soon as we're done here. He won't be able to get back in here again without us knowing about it."

"It is very strange" Starfire said softly, almost to herself. "We have spent so long trying to return Beastboy to our home, and now we are discussing how to keep him out."

"Did you say something Starfire?" Robin called out, unable to hear his girlfriend through the ice.

"I said it is very strange! We have spent so long trying to return Beastboy to our home, and now we are discussing how to keep him out!" Starfire repeated, yelling to be sure that Robin could hear her.

"Oh! Well, we don't have a choice- he's proven over and over that he's working with Slade. He and Raven have to be considered no different from any other criminal" Robin called back. "That doesn't just mean we have to defend against them, it also means we have to be able to go looking for them. Any ideas on that front?"

"Hard to do. Raven can teleport and phase through walls. Almost impossible to trap her. Beastboy can hide in plain sight. As a bug. Or a reptile. No one would question his color. Need to find their hideout." Batgirl said thoughtfully. "Cyborg was building something to help with that. How is that going?"

"It ain't." Cyborg replied flatly.

"What?" Robin yelled.

"I SAID IT AIN'T GOING AT ALL!" Cyborg bellowed through the ice.

"OH! Why not?" The Boy Wonder asked.

"There's too many variables involved! The sonic echolocator was built to find any hidden underground rooms that weren't documented with the city! But not all basements are documented! Plus if they're too deep down, it won't see 'em!" Cyborg said. "So that idea's out!"

"It is all right Cyborg, it was a good idea." Starfire said comfortingly. "You were not to know that it would not be possible."

"What?!"

"I SAID- Oh, for X'hal's sake!" Starfire fumed, frustrated by the icy barrier. "Can this wall not be made to melt more quicky?! It is impossible to speak in this manner, let alone come up with a plan!"

"It doesn't matter, Star, it's too late at night for a full planning session. The reason I called you here was to set up the new security measures we will be employing." Robin replied. "From now on, no one goes anywhere alone- whether inside the Tower or out. Whether you're going on patrol, going to the kitchen, or even going to the bathroom you must have at least one other Titan with you. Second, no one sleeps in their rooms anymore. As soon as this ice melts I want everyone to grab their sleeping things and assemble in the Common Room- we all sleep there until this thing gets resolved."

"Yo, Rob, don'tcha think this is a little extreme?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, yeah, BB got in once but I'll recalibrate the security systems so he and Raven'll set off the alarms if they get in. Goin' around in pairs an' sleepin' in the same room is gonna be mighty inconvenient."

"Can you guarantee that the system will be able to detect insects or even microscopic organisms?" Robin countered. "What about teleportation or other magic? Beastboy and Raven are probably the best suited for infiltration and reconnaissance of all the Titans. A fact I'd bet everything I own Slade knew about that when he decided to recruit them. We can't take the chance of them making it through the system and grabbing someone."

"I had a thought. Beastboy and Raven work for Slade now." Batgirl said, as the others digested these new rules. "Do you think this means they know Batman's secret identity?"

Robin was silent for a long moment, and when he did speak his voice was uncertain, as though he were desperate for reassurance himself. "I don't know, Batgirl. We have to assume the worst- and I will inform Batman of the possibility myself. He has contingency plans in place for situations like these, I'm sure he'll know what to do."

"As it is getting late, we should begin preparing for bed." Starfire said, beckoning to Batgirl. "Cassandra, would you come with me to my room so that I may ready myself for slorvax?"

"Okay. Afterwards we'll go by my room. Get my things for the night." The quiet girl replied. "Not sure how well I'll be sleeping after all that. But I'll try anyway."

"That is the spirit! We must try to remain cheerful!" Starfire said with a smile. "Oh! I believe I have successfully translated some Tamaranian jokes- come, I shall tell them to you along the way!"

As the alien girl led a slightly worried Batgirl down the hall to her room, Cyborg turned back to the ice barrier. "Looks like it's startin' to melt through" he noted "You should be oughta there in another hour or so. I'll wait out here til you're done, then we'll head down to the common room for some sleep."

"Good. In the meanwhile, I'll call the police on the backup system I have in here." Robin replied, moving to his desk. "Maybe they've found something that'll tell us just what the heck is going on here."

"I'm afraid I don't have any better news for you than you have for me" Commissioner said a few minutes later, wiping a hand across his eyes. In truth, Robin was amazed the older man was still at his desk- it was getting close to midnight, and Whyte looked as though he'd been working all day long. "Nothing on Slade, nothing on your former teammates, and nothing from the Municipal Archives site. In fact, most my day was spent on an unrelated case."

"Can you tell me about that case?" Robin asked. "Slade has a habit of weaving together seemingly unconnected crimes to form his plans- so we shouldn't dismiss it out of hand."

"All right, but I don't see what connection there could be." Whyte replied, reaching across his desk to pick up a file folder. "This afternoon a mail van heading out of Jump City stopped on the highway to fix a flat. When the driver was out, he noticed a patch of bare earth in the middle of a field. A little investigation revealed a shallow grave containing a human corpse. It'd been pretty badly damaged by quicklime, and the face was disfigured by the fatal gunshot, but we managed to get a clean enough set of prints to let us make an identification. The deceased was Doctor Christian Tannenberg, a neurosurgeon or something from Idaho of all places."

"Hm. Bullet to the face and a roadside grave doesn't exactly sound like Slade's handiwork, it's true." Robin said "How long had Tannenberg been missing?"

"Near as we can tell, he wasn't." Whyte answered. "The hospital he worked for said he resigned over the phone months ago. He said something about traveling the country for a while. They weren't happy to see their best man flake off to 'find himself', but they didn't think it was too suspicious either."

"I can see that. Medicine's a stressful job" Robin said, thoughtfully. "They probably have a few doctors who drop out every year."

"Completely unlike our own, relaxing professions?" Whyte said with a tired smile. Robin laughed and wished the older man a good night.

Once the monitor went dark, Robin rose and began putting together everything he needed for the night. Pajamas, toiletries, pillows and blanket all went into a small travel bag. By the time he'd finished, there was a large enough hole in the ice wall to squeeze through. Outside, Cyborg was waiting.

"Any news man?" the metal teen asked.

"Nothing that can't wait until morning." Robin responded with a yawn. "Let's turn off the heaters for the night- the ice can melt on its own, and I'm tired."

Just then, Starfire and Batgirl came round the corner. The alien girl, now wearing her pink nightgown and fuzzy slippers, seemed much happier than she had before. The vigilante, who wore only a tanktop and grey jogging pants, only seemed confused. Evidently, Starfire's jokes were not meeting with the reception she'd hoped for.

"How about this joke? What is the difference between a jak'aril and a qut'lech? The jak'aril is purple! HAHAHAHA! Ah, Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, flying over to capture her boyfriend in a hug. "I am pleased to see you out of your room once more! Shall we head downstairs to prepare for slorvax?"

"Yeah, Star. Slorvax sounds good. This'll all look a lot better in the morning." Robin said, forcing himself to smile as the group headed for the elevator. In truth, he felt incredibly tense and worried as things just seemed to be getting worse and worse. His attempts to cover this did not completely succeed, however. Starfire leaned in close.

"You do not truly believe this, do you Tim?" Starfire said, her voice sad.

Robin heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. "Not really" he admitted. "I can't see any way forward- we have no clues, no leads, and there seems to be no pattern to Slade's plan. All we can do is wait and hope that somehow, this time, we'll be able to stop whatever he's doing without him turning any more of us to his side."

"Not a good situation." Cassie agreed. "We can't predict his moves. Or his targets. Not enough information on him to get inside his head."

"Get inside his…" Cyborg repeated, stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. After a second, he grabbed Starfire by the hand and raced off in the opposite direction. "I GOT IT!"

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled, as he and Batgirl followed the two. "What are you talking about?!"

The metal man came to a halt in front of Raven's door and began working the controls to unlock it. As he worked he answered Robin. "I got it! I know how we can get one step ahead of them! Raven's mirror!"

"How would a mirror help us?" Cassie asked in bewilderment as the door slid open, revealing a mostly empty room.

"Oh, man! I guess BB wasn't here alone- guess that kills that idea. Still, maybe they missed it?" Cyborg said, scanning the shelves. "Anyway, Raven's mirror is an entryway into her mind scape. It's filled with representations of Raven's emotions, who all look like her but in different colored cloaks. I figured we could go in and ask the various Ravens what's going on."

"Do you really think that'd work?" Robin queried as he too joined the search. "It's not like Raven herself would just tell us what she was up to, why should we expect her emotions to be any different?"

"When me and Beastboy got sucked in there way back when, we spent some time talking to the emotions." Cyborg replied, dropping to his hands and knees to scan under the furniture. "They didn't really seem to have a handle on the idea of lying or keeping secrets. Which makes sense, since their whole reason for existing is to help Rae keep her mind balanced- not easy to do that if she can't tell when they're being honest with her. AHA!"

Cyborg reached under the bed and withdrew a small, antique-style hand mirror. It's pane was a solid, non-reflective gray, marking it unmistakably as a supernatural object. The Titans clustered around, taking a moment to study it.

"So, how do we use this?" Robin asked.

"WE do not." Starfire said, crossly. "You have spent this entire evening exerting yourself- you are in no condition to partake in this plan."

"Star's right, Rob." Cyborg agreed. "Besides, we need someone to stay at the Tower to make sure BB and Raven don't just burn the place down or somethin'. Of all of us, I'm the only one whose actually been inside Raven's mind before, so I'll go. I'll take Starfire with me because, apart from the grass stain, she's closer to Raven than anyone."

Robin opened his mouth to argue but instead found himself voicing a deep yawn. All at once, the exertions and tension of the day seemed to catch up with him. He gave a weary nod. "All right. How long do you think it will take?"

"No way to know, Rob." Was the only answer Cyborg gave.

Robin ground his teeth in frustration. "Cyborg, I need at least a ballpark figure here. If you run into trouble in there, we would have no way to know. I need a rough estimate so I know when to officially start worrying."

"No fighting. Team bonds have been weakened enough." Cassie said, stepping between the two boys. "Need to stay cool here. Cyborg, just come back in 2 hours. If you need to go back, go back after. Just check in in 2 hours."

"Okay, sounds reasonable." Cyborg agreed, before looking to Starfire. "Ready to go?"

"I wish I had not changed into my sleeping wear" the alien girl grumbled. "Although I doubt that Raven or her emotions will care. I am ready."

"Okay, on three. Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

As soon as Cyborg finished the chant, a golden hand emerged from the mirror and dragged the two into its surface.  
>In hindsight, that should have been their first clue that something was wrong.<p>

A/N  
>I really liked the idea of the Titans holding their big meeting shouting at one another through a locked door. Kinda wanted to break up the monotony of standard meetings.<p>

For those thinking that Slade's out of character for not ripping BB a new one, I don't think he is. Slade is, remember, an experienced soldier. He knows that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve big successes, and that those risks don't always pan out. Beastboy knows he screwed up, he won't break orders again, and his actual reasoning was pretty sound.

The next chapter will probably be delayed slightly, as I am once again moving to another continent. One would think I'd have learned my lesson by this point, but apparently not.


	22. Chapter 22

It was the heat that Cyborg noticed first. The heat and the smell.

Even before his eyes recovered from the magical flash of their entry, Cyborg could feel the heat. The air was hot and muggy, like a sauna, and it left him dripping with sweat from the few patches of skin left on his body. There was a slight breeze stirring the humid air, and it carried with it a riot of confusing scents. He could smell a vast array of flowers, their sweet scents mixing together yet still somehow recognizably different from one another. He could smell the earth beneath him, moist and rich with nutrients, teeming with life. He could smell wild animals, the reek and musk of beasts coming from all directions even if he couldn't see them or hear them. Underneath it all was the sickly smell of decomposition- of dead things slowly being rendered to compost. As he blinked his eye to clear it, Cyborg idly wondered if this was how the world smelled to Beastboy every spring. With the changeling's sensitive nose, it was at least possible.

Eventually his vision returned, fuzzy and blurry at first but clearing rapidly as the metal man took in his surroundings. He stood in the middle of a clearing in some sort of jungle. The trees were huge, rising up to form a thick canopy which shrouded the rest of the jungle in darkness. The ground beneath his feet was covered in fallen vines and exposed roots. Quickly, Cyborg turned to check if Starfire was there. Sure enough, the alien princess stood at his side her eyes wide with wonder.

"Glorious…" she breathed, overcome by awe. "I have never seen such an abundance of beauty on this planet! There are so many colors, so many scents! Even when we searched the jungle for the Doom Patrol, it was not so wonderful! It even surpasses the Ancient Forest of Tamaran!"

"Yeah, this place is somethin' else all right" Cyborg allowed cautiously. "Thing is, this ain't Raven's mind. When me an' BB were here, the place was a whole buncha rocks floatin' in space. It was cold, an' the only animals around were a buncha creepy four-eyed… well, ravens. I dunno what this place is or how we got here, an' I doubt I'll like the answers once we find out."

"Wouldn't be too sure about that, handsome. Brace yourself, I'm coming out." An extremely familiar voice called out from the thick forest. A moment later, Cyborg was stunned to see a perfect copy of HIMSELF walk out of the thick greenery. Or rather, it was an almost perfect copy- this Cyborg seemed taller, more confident, and more muscular than he was in real life. If anything, this was a perfected copy of him. The other Cyborg gave him a friendly wave and approached them. "The where is pretty easy- you're inside GARFIELD'S mindscape, not Raven's. You grabbed the magic mirror she made for him as part of his so-called therapy. As for how you'll get out, well, I figure it'd be the same way you planned to leave Raven's mind."

"Okay, well, that answers my first set of questions." Cyborg said warily. "Now for round two: Who are you and why do you look just like me?"

"I'm one of Gar's emotional avatars, I represent Wisdom." Wisdom said, drawing up to his double and clapping a hand to his shoulder. "As for why we look alike, well, I'd like to say it's because we're both lucky. But the truth is, Gar thinks of you as the wisest guy he knows."

"Tch, yeah." Cyborg scoffed.

"I'm quite serious." Wisdom said earnestly. "Whenever Gar's got a problem, or needs advice, he always comes to you, doesn't he? He takes your advice seriously because he respects you."

"What of myself?" Starfire asked eagerly. She was unsurprised by the appearance of Wisdom, since it was obvious to everyone but Cyborg what great respect Beastboy had for him. "Am I represented in this place as well?"

A sudden giggle came from the bush, and Starfire was tackled off her feet by an orange blur. Before she could prepare for battle, she noticed that her attacker wasn't trying to hurt her. Looking down, she saw her own doppelganger happily hugging her.

"Greetings, fellow Starfire!" The alien girl wheezed. "I am pleased to see you as well! But could you, perhaps, not squeeze so tightly?"

"Oh! I beg pardon, friend, but it is so very good to see you for myself!" the double said, as Wisdom forcibly pulled her away.

"This is Love." Wisdom said, as the orange-skinned emotion gave a smile and wave. "The reason she looks like Starfire…"

"…is because Beastboy considers me to be the most loving and affectionate of his friends. " Starfire finished, as though it was obvious. "I am most flattered and grateful to meet you!"

"Awright, not that I'm not pleased BB ain't in love with Star, but can we get a move on?" Cyborg said. "We're kinda in a hurry here."

At his words, a copy of Raven joined them. "You needn't be concerned. Although I do not know the precise temporal conversion rate, I do know that time within this realm flows at a nonequal rate to time in the material world."

"Lemme guess, you're knowledge?" Cyborg said with a sardonic smirk. He felt like he was beginning to get a handle on this place.

"Indeed." Knowledge replied, nodding as she did. "You are just as perceptive as Beastboy believes. "

Seeing his counterpart beginning to puff up with pride, Wisdom moved to intervene. "Interesting as this all is, I'm guessing you're here for a reason- to find out what BB's up to."

"Yes! Exactly!" Starfire cried. "Can you assist us? Surely Knowledge has access to all the information Beastboy has received."

"I am afraid it is not so simple" Knowledge replied. "While my access to Beastboy's knowledge base is limitless, the very depth of that access limits my capacity to properly search for specific information. Furthermore, the information is not stored in a fashion conducive to systematic searching. Mental storage is generally non-linear, and particularly so in this case."

"What she means is that the sheer amount of data Beastboy has in his head makes it hard to find any one specific fact." Wisdom explained. "More than that, the info isn't arranged in a logical way. For example, everything BB knows about Apples wouldn't be found next to what he knows about Appliances- it might be found next to Oranges, since they're both fruits. Or next to Leaves, since both items come from trees. "

"I must also point out that we are not as closely connected to Beastboy's mental state as we might be. Unlike (sigh) Raven" Affection pointed out, sighing blissfully as she spoke Raven's name "Beastboy has had only a few months to establish a link with the mirror. More than this, it has been a long time since he used it. This may also affect the search."

"That figures. Why can't it ever be easy?" Cyborg sighed. "How long do you think it will take?"

"I will begin the research immediately, confining my research to recently acquired knowledge and information relating to the future. These are the avenues of inquiry most likely to yield accurate results" Knowledge declared. "If you return tomorrow, I should have something to give you."

"Then that is what we sh-shall do" Starfire responded, her sentence interrupted by an immense yawn. All at once, the days exertions seemed to catch up with her. "Cyborg, I believe we should return to the Tower. How may we do this?"

"Ah, I can help with that." Wisdom said "It should be fairly easy- when Raven cast the spell on Beastboy's mirror, she wanted him to be able to use it without her help. All you have to do is focus on the Tower- picture the room you entered here from, and we will send you there."

Starfire closed her eyes and tried to picture Raven's bedroom in her mind. It was dark- no matter the time of day, that room was always dark. It was cold, always noticeably cooler than the rest of the Tower. It was filled with unusual (and somewhat off-putting) mystical artifacts… except that wasn't true anymore. Someone (possibly Raven) had emptied the room, leaving nothing but the basic furniture. She corrected herself, mentally picturing the cold, dark, empty room to which she now wished to return. When she was felt she had a perfect image in her minds eye, she nodded her head. "I am ready."

"Me too" Cyborg affirmed, his eyes shut as well. "Do it when you're ready"

"Do what?" Batgirl asked, her voice confused and surprised.

Starfire's eyes popped open. They stood in the middle of Raven's now-empty room. Batgirl was seated on a small stool, reading a book. Robin was sprawled on the bed, in his full costume, fast asleep. She couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked at that moment.

"Well, that was easier than I expected." Cyborg said, moving to the bed and tapping Robin on the shoulder. "Aww, what's the matter, Rob? Couldn't keep your eyes open for a few minutes longer?"

"A few minutes?" Cassie asked as the Boy Wonder rose from the bed "It's been three hours. Almost three a.m. What happened?"

Once Robin was awake, Cyborg gave a quick summary of what had happened in the mirror. As he came to the end of his recitation, Robin heaved a sigh.

"I noticed one thing you seem to have forgotten to ask" he said, his voice a mixture of weariness and disappointment. "Namely, who exactly is behind all of this insanity."

Starfire's jaw sagged open in shock and disbelief, as Cyborg slapped a metal hand against his forehead. "How could we have forgotten so basic an inquiry?!" the alien girl exclaimed. "Worry not, we shall return to the mirror at once and retrieve the identity of our enemy!"

To the Titan's surprised, Robin waved off the suggestion. "Forget it, Star. Even if we knew who was behind all of this, it still wouldn't help us much. I mean, we wouldn't be able to do anything with that information until we had a sense of their overall plan. Besides, we're all extremely tired. There's only a few hours left until morning, and we need to get at least some sleep. Just make sure to do it when you go into Beastboy's head tomorrow morning… which is not a sentence I ever thought I'd say."

Meanwhile, in his room at Slade's headquarters Beastboy tossed and turned in his bunk. Ordinarily, the changeling had little trouble getting to sleep (Joker-induced nightmares notwithstanding). But now, he found it impossible to settle down and nod off- his mind was bouncing around like a rubber ball in an earthquake. One minute he was calmly remembering some stuff he'd learned once, the next he was filled with feelings of love and affection, then he was contemplative… it was giving him a headache! With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed and headed for the door to his quarters. With a sigh, he headed out into the brightly lit hallway and made his way to the medical unit. Once there, he grabbed a couple of aspirin and, after some thought, a sleeping pill as well. After gulping them all down with a glass of water, the changeling turned around to head back to his room.

'What's going on here?' he wondered as he went. 'My mind's bouncing between moods like a Ping-Pong ball. I thought I'd gotten past all this…'

Beastboy was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he almost walked right into Slade. The older mercenary deftly stepped aside and placed a hand on the green teen's shoulder. Jolted out of his reverie, Beastboy spun around and gave his new mentor an embarrassed grin.

"You're not usually up so late, Garfield. Is everything all right?" Slade asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Uh… well… it's kinda embarrassing…" Beastboy murmured as he sought furiously for some excuse. He didn't want to be benched due to instability- whatever their next move was, he could tell it was gonna be big, and he didn't want Raven facing it alone. Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Just kinda antsy about tomorrow, y'know? I mean, it's obviously gonna be somethin' big but I can't figure out what. So my brain is just making guesses and keeping me awake."

Slade frowned at this (Beastboy still found it weird to see the older man without his mask) and scratched his chin. "Hmmm. I was keeping it from you to ensure you got a good night's rest- I didn't want you to be so excited that you didn't sleep. However, as that plan seems to have backfired, I suppose I might as well tell you…"

Afterwards, Beastboy slowly made his way back to his room. In part, this was due to the powerful sleeping drugs in his system- he felt as though lead weights had been attached to his limbs. But a much greater contributor was shock. Of all the potential missions he had envisioned THIS was the one he would have judged the least likely. As he reentered his room, he wondered how Raven would take this news.

Following a fitful (and all-too brief) rest, the Titans reassembled in the Common Room. As they ate a quick breakfast, Robin outlined what information they needed to retrieve from Beastboy's mindscape.

"Like I said last night, the first priority has to be finding out their plan. Until we know that, we're flying blind." Robin said, waving about the spoon from his cereal to emphasize his point. "Second, we need to find out who is really behind this and how they managed to turn BB. Lastly, try to find out where they're hiding out- though in a pinch, we can get by without that knowledge. "

"Gotcha, Rob" Cyborg acknowledged, as he finished off the last of his bacon and eggs. "Plans, name, location."

"Very well. Now that our plans have been established, let us move to put them into action." Starfire said decisively. Leaving Cassie to deal with the dishes from breakfast, the alien girl lead her teammates to the the Tower's largest room. They had decided to move the mirror into the Common Room for the time being, in order to make things easier for the ones left behind to wait, Raven's room not having been furnished for the comfort of anyone other than the empathy herself.. Taking up the mirror, Starfire uttered the short phrase and vanished in a flash of light along with Cyborg.

Alone now in the empty room, Robin and Cassie both heaved a sigh and settled back to wait.

The two heroes materialized once more in the lush jungle which formed Beastboy's mindscape. They were surprised to be met by what appeared to be Harley Quinn and Terra.

"Hiya!" the crazed clown cheerfully chirped, clasping their hands and frantically shaking them. "I'm so happy to finally see ya myself! BB's bestest best friends- and therefore MY bestest best friends!- have come ta visit! Oh boy, we're gonna have SO! MUCH! FUN! Hey, I'll race ya to the village! ReadysetGO!"

No sooner had she spoken then the masked woman ran off into the jungle, the dense foliage seeming to part before her and close behind her. Starfire and Cyborg merely stood where they were, attempting to process what had just happened. Cyborg was the first to recover turning to 'Terra' with a puzzled expression.

"Village? What village?" he asked, having decided to start with the simplest question he had.

"It- It's where we all live." The blonde simulacrum mumbled, her eyes never leaving the ground. "I'm sorry that Happy was so unclear, but she gets so excited to see new people. "

"O-kay, well that explains that." Cyborg mused "It also answers my second question. So, if the clown girl is Happiness, I'm guessin' you're timidity?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself. I-I just didn't think I was important enough to mention." Timid apologized. "Come on, I'll take you to our village. T-That is, if that's okay with you."

Following a nod from Cyborg, the morose emotion lead them off through the jungle. As they walked, Cyborg noticed that his companion was glaring daggers at their guide. It wasn't hard to guess why- after Beastboy himself, Starfire had been the one most affected by Terra's betrayal. Tamaranian's cherished both friendships and loyalty, so the act of treachery was one of the blackest sins they knew. However, he had faith in Starfire and trusted that she would keep whatever anger she might be feeling under control for however long it took them to get the information they needed. After all, Timid only LOOKED like Terra- from what Cyborg could tell, her personality was almost the polar opposite of the brash earth-mover. He made a note to ask about that if he ever found the time.

After a short time, they arrived at a clearing which contained a number of thatch-roofed huts. Each hut boasted a different color, presumably corresponding to the emotion it housed. In the center of the clearing was a wide circle of short, flat stones.

Cyborg looked around but saw no sign of either of the cerebral emotions he had met during his last visit. With a sigh, he sat down on one of the rocks, with Starfire taking a seat beside him. "I guess we still got some time to wait."

"Indeed you do, Chromedome" said a terrifyingly familiar voice. The metal teen turned his head to find who it was that had spoken… only to find himself staring into the dead-white face and broad smile of the Joker.

Cyborg spun around so fast that he slid off his stony seat entirely, as Starfire rose into the air. Before the pair could attack, Happy bounded over. With a smile she shoved the Clown Prince of Crime aside, and beamed at her guests.

"Don't pay any attention to Fear- he's a real meanie." she said. "I won the race, so I get to pick our next game! Let's see, I wanna play…"

"F-Fear? The Joker is the representation of Beastboy's fear?" Starfire said. "But… he… that is, the real Joker does not seem fearful at all!"

"Oh, I'm not like the rest of the simps in this place" Fear boasted. "Thanks to greenies trauma and the magic of the spell, I'm cast in the image of what he fears most. Lucky for me, he's afraid of such a devilishly handsome creature, eh? HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Starfire shuddered, the sound of the Joker's mad laughter bringing back all manner of terrible memories. Noticing her discomfort, the clown moved even closer to her, but was stopped by what appeared to be Hotspot. The young pyrokinetic bodily interposed himself between the two before shoving the taller, pale emotion back.

"Stay back, Fear" he growled through clenched teeth. "We're not putting up with anymore of your crap. We've learned how to fight you."

"Oooh, big talk hothead" Fear replied dismissively. "But can you back it up? After all, the little grass head doesn't have much of a temper. Meaning you don't have anything like the strength to make me do anything I don't want to do. Now run along before I snuff out your flames."

"Perhaps Anger does not have the power to stop you, but I do" Love declared, moving to stand beside her real-world counterpart. "I shall not allow you to harm our beloved friends!"

"Oooh!" cried Happy, bouncing up and down on her toes. "I wanna play too! "

Starfire and Cyborg were distracted from the argument when Wisdom put his hands on their arms. The emotion gestured for them to follow him to the middle of the circle. Knowledge soon joined them, sitting down on the soil, the hood of her cloak obscuring most of her face. Wisdom took a seat beside her while Starfire and Cyborg chose to remain standing. As though responding to a silent signal, the other emotions abandoned the quarrel and gathered around.

"So, did you guys find the answers we wanted?" Cyborg asked. "What's he up to? Who he's working for?"

"We did, although it might be difficult for you to believe." Wisdom sighed "Certainly, it brings a lot of the stuff we believed into question, to the point where I'm not sure I believe it…"

Raven walked purposefully down the long, bare corridor which led to Beastboy's quarters. The green boy had missed both breakfast and morning training, and Slade had asked Raven to go check on him. Raven had been more than willing to comply- the truth was, Beastboy's behavior worried her. Though he might grumble about the hard work or the hours, the changeling took his job as a hero far too seriously to ever skip a training session. In the last few weeks, he'd even begun getting up early to have breakfast with her, and the shared meals had soon become one of her favorite parts of the day. So it was that she approached his door with a sense of anxiousness. As the door slid open, Raven's mind was suddenly assaulted with an intense blast of rapidly changing emotions. The dark empathy let out a yelp of surprise and took an involuntary step back. Steeling herself, Raven raised her mental defenses and pushed forward into the room.

The place was a shambles, far beyond Beastboy's usual standards. There were fist-sized holes punched in the walls, all manner of things had been swept onto the floor, and the furniture looked like it had been thrown around the room. Beastboy was huddled in the far corner of the room, trembling violently. His skin was pale, his hair was disheveled, and the bags under his eyes were visible from across the room. Seeing her, the changeling stumbled over to her as fast as he could.

"Rae, ya gotta help me!" he cried, his voice thick with sheer, terrified desperation. "I think I'm goin' outta my mind! I've been having crazy mood swings all night- one second I'm crazily happy, the next second I'm furious at nothing, or scared outta my skin!"

Beastboy had no sooner finished speaking when he burst out laughing. His laughter was unusually strong and had a definite touch of mania to it. "Oh! I know what you're gonna say! 'That green skin's no great loss' right? HAHAHAHA!"

Raven put her hands on his shoulders to steady him."Gar, it'll be okay. We'll figure this out and we will fix it." She said soothingly. TO her surprise, the green boy pulled away from her, his face contorted in fury.

"Don't lie to me! How the HELL can we fix this?! I'm GOING OUTTA MY DAMN MIND!" He snarled. Immediately, his face fell into an expression of supreme misery as he fell to his knees. Tears leaked from his eyes as he spoke. "Oh, god, Rae… I'm so sorry…"

"It's all right." Raven said, forcing herself to remain calm. "Now. This all started just last night? With no real prompting or cause?"

"Y-Yeah" he replied, wiping his eyes as his body began quaking. "It was real sudden, too. One minute everything was normal, the next. Am- Am I going insane?"

"I don't think so. It sounds more like…" Raven trailed off. Her hand shot out and pressed against his forehead, glowing black with mystical energy. After a few seconds she seized her boyfriend's arm and dragged him out of the room. The two raced down the hall to Raven's own room, where the dark girl immediately began frantically searching through her possessions. After a moment, she turned back to Beastboy with a look that mixed certainty with worry.

"I thought so." She said, her voice as calm and neutral as ever. "We left your magic mirror behind in the Tower. Someone is interacting with your emotions directly, and that is the cause of your mood swings."

"WHAT?" Beastboy cried, anger surging to the fore once again. "You mean some weirdo is tromping around in my brain without askin' me?!"

"Garfield. Remain calm." Raven replied. "In the first place, it isn't some weirdo- it is almost certainly one of our friends. In the second place, you of all people don't get to be offended that someone entered your mindscape without permission. Or have we forgotten your first little trip to Nevermore?"

"Ah. Heh. Yeah. Right." Beastboy said meekly, rubbing the back of his head as a single bead of sweat made its way down his forehead. "But still! We can't let em just wander around in there! Who knows what it'll do to me!"

"Not to mention" Raven mused "That they are almost certainly using this time to probe your emotions for information. Thankfully, I know what to do- I'm going to break the connection between your mind and the mirror. It will destroy the mindscape and force the intruder or intruders out. Give me your hand."

The changeling extended his hand, but hesitated. "Um, Rae? This isn't gonna hurt them right? I mean, we're on opposite sides right now, but the Titans are still our friends."

"Garfield, what kind of person do you think I am?" Raven said, allowing a fraction of her hurt to rise to the surface as she took her boyfriend's gloved hand. "The Titans will have plenty of time to escape before the mindscape collapses completely. Now let's do this. Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

A pulse of dark energy engulfed their hands. Beastboy wasn't SURE but he thought he felt something tingle inside his head, but it could have been his imagination. Whatever the case, he felt his emotions beginning to return to normal. He smiled up at Raven, who merely nodded.

"Thanks Rae!" he said, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek "I feel better already! Hey, I spoke to Slade last night- ran into him on the way back to my room. He let me in on the plan for tonight, and I thought I should give you a little heads up…"

"Holy…" Cyborg breathed, stunned by what he'd heard.

"Great X'hal…" Starfire gasped. "To think that Slade would… would go so far…"

"Hard to believe, I know" Wisdom agreed "But that's what he said."

"We have to get moving! We need to-" Whatever Cyborg was going to say was interrupted by an enormous cracking sound. It wasn't like thunder, but sounded more like the sound of a breaking glass amplified a thousand times. Casting his eyes upward, the metallic hero saw the sky itself begin to crack like… like glass. Great shards of blue tumbled to the ground, shattering on impact, leaving behind patches of absolute blackness in the sky. "What the hell's going on?!"

"The mystical connection between the mirror and Beastboy's psyche has been severed. This realm is beginning to self-destruct." Knowledge stated. If the prospect of her own imminent demise bothered her, the emotion showed no sign of it.

"You gotta get outta here now!" Wisdom exclaimed, his loud voice cutting through the gabbling of the other emotions.

"But- But what shall happen to you?" Starfire exclaimed "We cannot simply leave you to die."

"Fear not, dear friend" Love replied warmly, the smile never leaving her face. "For we have never truly lived. We are merely parts of Garfield's psyche given shape and intellect by the magic of the mirror."

"She's right, Star, there's nothing we can do for them." Cyborg murmured. He took one last look around the mindscape, and the emotions (most of whom were still absorbed in the argument between Anger and Fear) before preparing to say the words which would take them back to the real world. Before he could, however, he felt a small hand tug at his arm. Looking down, he saw Timid gazing up at him with wet eyes.

"I-I know this is a lot to ask" the blonde emotions said "But… save me. The real me. She doesn't deserve to lose what she built. Please?"

"I promise I'll do my best" Cyborg vowed. "Azerath Metrion… ZINTHOS!"

A rush of dark power brought he and Starfire back to Titans Tower. This time, Robin was seated on the floor next to the mirror (Which was now visibly cracked), with Batgirl nowhere to be seen. The metal teen immediately raced for the main computer. "Star, I'll start checking our files to find out where she is- you go get Cassie and bring her here. According to her communicator, she's in the gym."

"I shall! We must move quickly or risk losing the city!" she called back, already flying to the door.

"Wait, losing the…"Robin said, struggling to keep up, before just shouting "CYBORG! What is going on?! Who's behind all this?"

Cyborg turned away from the computer monitor to look Robin square in the eye. "Robin, this is way worse than we thought. They're going after Terra."

A/n

Been a while huh? Moving my whole life across an ocean took a wee bit more time than anticipated. I apologize and hope for mercy.

The idea of Fear as the Joker was going to be part of a subplot back in Recovery. Fear would have become empowered by BB's, well, fear and become self-aware. This would have lead to an epic battle in BB's mind between Fear and the Titans. Then I looked at what else I had planned and realized I had enough on my plate as it was. Oh well.

Future updates will come more quickly than this one did, although I can't promise a return to my previous once-a-month schedule. Sorry about that, but there're only so many hours in the day.

Everyone leave a review, I'm curious to see how many are still reading this story.


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